Welcome back Family, once again you are granted another opportunity to enjoy a wonderful selection from the acclaimed novel "Daddy Doesn't Want to Dance Anymore". I truly hope you have been enjoying the previous exerts we'd posted thus far. In this particular piece from chapter 4 "Independence Day" our main character Deshawn King is breaking down to his attorney Lawrence McHenry the racial barrier that stands between the two cultures of Black and White in America. King is accomplishing this goal by picking apart the conclusion of the O.J. verdict and the effects it had on the two cultures simultaneously and just where Black America stood in the aftermath. Enjoy!
So there he was, out there and on his own with nowhere to run and no one to turn to, or so they thought. But as it turned out, the people that he had once left behind decades ago were more than willing to pave the road for his long journey back home. To all those white folks surprise, it turned out to be a successful move on his part because the reunion was unbelievable. It was all made possible due to the fact that we shared that same common curse, our own complexion. I say they were surprised because they couldn’t quite understand the strength of that curse, not unless of course if they haven’t walked in our shoes. You and I both know that’s a walk they would prefer to pass up. Hell, if we had a choice, a lot of us would do the same. We all know there’s nothing like having this curse. No matter how fast O.J. ran his black ass through that airport, jumping over shit to give the White man back his briefcase. O. J. knew that when it all came tumbling down; he couldn’t out run nor jump over his own reality of being a Blackman in this country.
So that just goes to show you just how strong, and how deep these racial lines are drawn within our culture. For years, this man had been able to walk nearly his entire life in the dark, unmoved by the struggles his brothers and sisters had to endure. It was as if it never happened because he had convinced himself that he was blind to it all, yet without one word being uttered from anyone lips, he miraculously regained his eyesight. Instantly, he saw where he stood in this equation that was now sparked by the race card,; he knew he needed to find a way to use that card so that it could be played out in his favor. To the
surprise of them white folks, he succeeded in doing so, because I never seen so many angry white folks before in all my life. This was all because their beloved legal system, that was designed exclusively for them had let them down in setting that nigga free…yeah the city…no the nation was painted blood shot red on that day and we were the ones holding the paintbrush exposing America’s true colors. We reminded America, along with the rest of the world, just how separate we were from one another. Separate but not equal mind you, when it came to the issue of race.
And just to think, for so many years leading up to that point, I would listen to these fools (Black folks) go on and on about equality. More than likely they were the ones who probably never took the time to learn about the historical struggles for racial equality. But these are the same people saying that racism was now a thing of the past; so we need to let go of the past bullshit, move on with our lives to blend in to make it work.
Explain to me this, since when has the oppressed been able to confront their oppressor and demand that he let bygones be bygones? Whatever gave us the impression that we actually were ready to sit down at the table to break bread with him (Oppressor), when all along, our poor black asses were never in a position to inflict any harm upon him? Meaning, we were never in a position to bring a damn thing to the table because he was holding the chips all along. Listen here, a man with nothing has nothing to negotiate, so the only choice that he has left is to fight for what he truly believes is rightfully his, because they ain’t going to give him shit. Especially when you take into consideration that they’ve already convinced themselves that they owed him nothing to start with.
So when I wrap all that shit up, I can honestly say that it was my Fourth of July, Suit. That was my reason for celebration, because it represented my state of independence, with all my beliefs still intact. I was finally granted the opportunity to point my finger at all those mothaf***as, from the ones who were able to hide behind their true feelings about us Black folks, to the ones who thought the issues of racial disparities had finally laid to rest. That day enabled me Suit, to finally tell them all to kiss my black ass because I told them so. However, I find it funny that all you saw was the race card being pulled, where all I saw was just another corrupted judicial system seeking to convict another brotha.” King concluded.
I gave myself some time to absorb all of his words, while seeking the words of my own to respond. Allowing myself the needed time didn’t pose much of a problem; however finding those much-needed words to use in my own defense was a totally different matter.
