5 Things Friday
“May Patrick’s memory spark a blessed revolution, fulfilling his dad’s wish: never again. In the meantime, it is our duty to walk side by side with each new family that is compelled to take this unnecessary grief journey." Here are your antiracism action steps for April 15.
Today we are turning the intro over to Cindy Barukh Milstein, who attended a protest last weekend in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to demand the release of videos of the murder-by-cop on April 4 of Patrick Lyoya. The videos have since been released, and the execution-style murder of Patrick — pulled over for a supposed liscense plate discrepency — is horrfic. "Patrick Lyoya (was) a 26-year-old refugee escaping the violence of the Democratic Republic of Congo; a dad, son, brother, and much more. ...It was more like a procession to accompany Patrick’s family in their fresh grief—and thus a sacred space. Indeed, at one point everyone circled up and quieted down for a vigil. Through an interpreter, Patrick’s dad, Peter, shared 3 simple sentences, each punctuated by emotion: that he’d brought his son here for a better life 8 years ago; he now wished he hadn’t brought him here; and all he wants now is that no family after his should ever have to experience this pain. On that last line, I could hear many people crying, myself included—because his family shouldn’t have had to experience this either, and because already others have died-by-cop since Patrick’s murder, and because Grand Rapids went hard in solidarity with George Floyd and yet murders-by-cops have continued apace, including now here. Today at a live press conference, the new police chief acted the 'nice cop'—an example of how to co-opt the #ACAB of the 2020 uprising. He spoke of 'accountability,' 'transparency,' and 'reform'; was humble, contrite, and respectful, honoring the family’s sorrow; said peaceful protest was a right; and offered a trigger warning before showing the moment in 1 of the 4 videos he released where Patrick was coldly assassinated by a gun to the back of his head, just minutes after being stopped for an alleged car registration issue. While the police chief answered reporters’ questions, the GR police were erecting barricades in front of the cop shop, and businesses preemptively boarded up windows. May Patrick’s memory spark a blessed revolution, fulfilling his dad’s wish: never again. In the meantime, it is our duty to walk side by side with each new family that is compelled to take this unnecessary grief journey."
Here are your 5 Things.
KNOW THIS. Say Patrick Lyoya's name, know what happened, and understand that it continues to happen. Then sign this petition to demand that the officer who executed Patrick Lyoya be named, fired and prosecuted. In cases like this, there must be an independent prosecutor appointed. The Kent County DA interacts with the Grand Rapids Police Department every day. It is a HUGE conflict of interest for the DA to be involved in this case in which one of the cops committed a murder. Sign this petition to demand an independent prosecutor be appointed for this case. A DA who works with the same police department that murdered Patrick Lyoya should not be in charge.
LISTEN TO THIS. Erikson Institute, a graduate school in early childhood, recently launched a podcast series looking at the history of early care and education, with an eye to what a more equitable and just system could look like for the future, titled, “1,800 Days: the story of early childhood in the US." We specifically recommend taking a listen to the episode: From Slavery to Head Start. "Childcare in America has been disproportionately provided by women of color. Since the first enslaved people arrived in 1619, women of color have been tasked with caring for the children of the affluent. Even after emancipation, indeed to the present day, the childcare sector has been dominated by women of color. In this episode we trace the development of the childcare industry in the United States from the days of slavery leading up to the creation of Head Start."
BUY THESE. Book bans are nothing new. Throughout history, certain books have come under fire for content deemed inappropriate or controversial — often, that content is by and about people of color, the LGBTQ community, and other marginalized groups. As a spate of classroom censorship bills aim to erase discussions about race and gender in schools across the country, books about the same issues are being banned and challenged across public schools and libraries at an alarming rate. In 2021, the American Library Association recorded 729 book challenges, compared to 156 challenges received the year prior. Check out this list from the ACLU— ‘ACLU Banned Book Club Reading List’—highlighting some of the books that have most recently been banned or challenged for removal across public schools and libraries and then click, buy, click, buy, and READ!
READ THIS. Nearly half of the countries in Africa were at one time French colonies or protectorates. Six decades after most of them gained independence, young people — born long after the colonial French departed — are driving an uprising, tapping into a wealth of online information that older generations, often less educated and literate, never had access to, and trying to use it to promote change. And their elders are paying attention. “There’s a new awakening in sub-Saharan Africa that the world should know about,” said El Hadj Djitteye, a Malian analyst who recently founded a think tank, the Timbuktu Center for Strategic Studies on the Sahel. “If a foreign minister makes a speech today, there’s a group of young analysts that can look at it and say this paragraph is paternalist, that one is aggressive, this isn’t diplomacy.”
SHARE THIS. Calling all San Francisco-based Black and African-descent artists, healers, musicians, creatives, entrepreneurs, writers, dancers, body workers, & even those of you who don’t consider what you do as art. The African American Art & Culture Complex is hosting The Get Low,a radical self care community activation with instant access to self-help quick grants; an info session about AAACC's Creative Development Cohort Programs; and AAACC membership. Hosted by San Francisco’s coveted radio personality Damien D Minor (@dminorminor) — share the opportunity for Black SF artists far and wide!