From Apathy to Action
by Heber Brown, III
Approximately a week and a half before my wedding, one of the groomsmen and I were leaving the tuxedo shop after being fitted for our formal attire. As we joked with one another and walked to the car, we were both shocked to see right before our eyes a Black man holding a Black women by her hair and back-slapping her in the face. Understandably, my friend and I were both shocked by this. This man had to be some kind of bold to abuse this women in broad daylight on a busy street.
My friend and I were witnessing a crime and not just a crime as defined by human laws, but a crime against God as well. You must understand that I believe that all human beings are created by God thereby being equally valuable in the eyesight of The Almighty. Thus when one human being offends another human being; that person not only offends the created being (the human), but they also offend The Creator of the human being.
I stood there on the street corner at the crossroad of Apathy and Action. I had a choice to make. Whether I wanted to be or not, I was a witness to an event that demanded a response. I could choose to, in some way, intervene risking my own physical safety or I could very well choose to walk to the car as I had previously planned.
That is a decision that all of us has to make as well. The specific details may change, but the issue presented in my story is common to all of us. All of us, at one point or another in life, are prompted to respond to a situation or issue that we did not invite into our personal space. Yes! It would be more convenient and comfortable if we were able to dictate and determine what was and what was not allowed to barge into our lives, however, that is not our experience.
There are uncomfortable issues that are present right now in our collective reality that DEMAND for us to respond. We have got to DO SOMETHING! That is almost a foreign language in our American Culture because we have been conditioned to be apathetic to the suffering of others.
We have been desensitized to the point where we can watch the suffering of others on television and not be moved one iota. The “News” reports that Iraqi civilians were killed when American fighter jets mistakenly bombed their neighborhood and we turn the channel on the remote. The papers report that the people of Pakistan have been forced to move off of their land into pre-determined compounds and we go get some ice cream from the “frige”. Statistics approximate that close to 50% of African American Males who enter Baltimore City Public Schools don’t graduate and we move our kid to the county. Where is the outrage?! Where is the public outcry that demands measurable, pro-social changes?! Where is the community that protests against any more shallow symbols of undelivered hope?!
I’ll tell you where we are….we are asleep. Like cogs in a wheel we have been socialized to fit and fill a prescribed role in society that never calls to question (en masse) the governing body that orchestrates our gravest social dilemmas. We have been programmed to either support or be silent to “the powers that be” for the sake of self-preservation all the while ignoring the noble desire for community preservation.
However this lethargic condition is not new. Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. describes a similar situation occurring in his generation. In “Why We Can’t Wait”, he shares that a significant portion of his generation was awakened by the centennial celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation. It was then that Black folks were forced to face the fact that 100 years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation they were still not free. He says, “The milestone of the centennial of emancipation gave the Negro a reason to act – a reason so simple and obvious that he almost had to step back to see it.“(pg. 11)
I could make a laundry list of statistics that would suggest that our generation has a reason to act, but what for? We know or at least have a sense of the severity of our social condition. We have been overwhelmed by an onslaught of soundbytes proclaiming how bad things are. It is time for us now to get active! How? I’m glad that you asked. Here’s a 5-point starter list:
1. Find an issue that is particularly important to you. This will help you to channel your “activism energy” toward a specific issue thereby best utilizing your time and resources. [Note: Don't try to be Superman/Wonderwoman - you can't do it all!]
2. Educate yourself: There is nothing more embarrassing and counter-productive than an ignorant activist! Passion without knowledge is foolish.
3. Educate others: Spread your “germs for activism” with family and friends. [Note: Don't beat people over the head with "what they need to be doing"; this may turn them off to becoming an activist]
4. Join an Organization that professes and produces for the cause of Empowerment in our Community: Do you remember Big Mama’s famous line in the movie Soul Food?: “One finger pointing blame can’t make no impact. But five fingers balled up can deliver a mighty blow.” Stop being that lone finger and commit to a like-minded group!
5. Feed on criticism and courageously face confrontation. There will be many who will attempt to make you go back to sleep. Your activity will agitate the “sleep walkers” who dwell among us and upset the status quo. However, keep an open mind to critics; they just may say something that assists you in your journey.
Finally a warning: Don’t expect to be celebrated and appreciated by the community that you serve. The “mainstream” and those coerced to submission will seek to silence you in one form or another. Be encouraged that the “Truth tellers” and Ancestors who came before you were treated as outcaste as well. Even Jesus was turned in to the authorities by his people and executed by the government. Be encouraged by his words: “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11,12; NRSV) Likewise, Jesus gives this warning: “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.” (Luke 6: 26; NSRV)
Let the God who is on the side of the oppressed guide you; let the Christ who is before you inspire you; and let the Spirit which dwells within strengthen you!
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