"[African Americans] had for more than a century before been regarded as beings of an inferior order, and altogether unfit to associate with the white race, either in social or political relations; and so far inferior, that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect; and that the negro might justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery for his benefit. He was bought and sold, and treated as an ordinary article of merchandise and traffic, whenever a profit could be made by it."
Despite the 85-year span between their births, Betsy Chapman and Renisha McBride died days apart, with Renisha meeting the violence in Detroit that previous generations of Black folks left the south to escape. Born in different historical eras, their live ' s illustrate the persistence of white supremacy. They experienced the American journey as a fluid continuum.
From the murder of 4 little girls in Birmingham, Alabama to the hunting down and depraved murder of Trayvon Martin the system has consistently permitted whites to destroy the dreams and lives of African-Americans with impunity. Renisha will never enjoy
the longevity of Betsy Chapman. Still, the struggle to make "The Year of Freedom" a meaningful reality is within our reach. Comparing the racial violations of two African-American women who were born 85 years apart and on different sides of the Mason-Dixon line demonstrates the moral imperative to " reset " the compass and direction of African-American political struggle.
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