Dampening of the Black Voice: An Observation on the Neglecting & Silencing of Black Protestors by the State Romo Follow Aug 12, 2015 · 5 min read

Why is it that two black protestors had to storm a stage before the beginning of a rally to get the “most progressive candidate” — the one who vowed, “to end institutional racism” — to finally listen to what black people need from a presidential candidate? This is what we should have asked ourselves when we first heard about the actions of Marissa Johnson and Mara Jacqueline Willaford at a Bernie Sanders rally on August 8th in Seattle — but instead there were echoes of bigotry and racism against the protestors. Before this event had occurred, Bernie Sanders, considered by many to be the most socially progressive candidate in this election cycle, had not written an official platform attempting to solve the problems of institutional racism and police brutality that all black people face in this country today.

Johnson (left) and Willaford (right) interrupting Sanders’ Rally. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Why didn’t Bernie listen when many prominent black voices were discussing his absence of having such a platform and why did he only do something when he was finally provoked directly? The reason is because we are a part of a corrupt and racist political system that neglects the needs and voices of people of color and minorities. If you are black in this country, you have to interrupt an entire campaign rally to finally get the most “progressive” candidate to listen to you about the need to stop the police from killing you based on your skin color. As my friend Wasay Rasool succinctly put it, “The irony of politics is that the most progressive candidates are still having trouble relating to the groups that are the most marginalized.”

I don’t condemn the acts of these protestors either. As a non-black POC, I couldn’t possibly fathom what it’s like to be a black person living in America and facing the constant fear of being murdered by police or being institutionally disadvantaged at every step. As a result, I don’t have the authority nor ability to preach to them on how to vent their frustrations on these issues. I do however condemn those that are demonizing these activists.

In an attempt to delegitimize their protest and neglect their concerns, people have taken to social media to paint these protestors with misogynistic and racist epithets. By dehumanizing them in this fashion, it also discourages future protestors from participating in such acts, even though this may be the only way they can obtain results. As influential protestor DeRay Mckesson said, “Protest is confrontation. Protest is disruption. Protest is the end of silence. It is not the solution, it creates space for the solution.” This protest by these activists in Seattle displays exactly these words as the space for solution was created and Sanders finally rolled out a platform to combat some of the issues that black people face in this nation, but obviously, this did not occur until the “uncomfortable” protest by Johnson and Willaford. Though it is not complete platform, it is a start, and that is still better than what most candidates have offered in this election cycle.

A day after the events transpired in Seattle, black voices and black protestors were silenced while having peaceful protests on the one year anniversary of the death of Michael Brown at the hands of police office Darren Wilson. Influential activists DeRay Mckesson, Johnetta Elzie, and Cornel West were arrested during peaceful protests in front of the Ferguson courthouse in an attempt to mute dissent against the state. As an integral part of the first amendment, the right to peacefully assemble is protected in the constitution. However, the state has neglected this right of black protestors throughout the entire ordeal in Ferguson. Once again, the black voice is and has been dampened by the state.

There has been a lot of coverage in recent time over the importance of and attack on free speech, namely by organizations such as Fox News. They ran several segments in defense of free speech when it came to marginalizing and subjugating minorities such as defending the use of the Confederate Flag and defending the right to draw Muslim Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.), an action that was defended as an act of satire. Comedian Aamer Rahman challenged this defense by stating that “Satire is about challenging power, not belittling the oppressed.”

However, when it comes to the suppression of peaceful black protestors who are stopped from using their first amendment rights of free speech and freedom to assemble, these same news organizations have been silent on the issue. Free speech is only defended by these entities when it comes to the issues that white America is comfortable with. However, when white America is challenged by minority groups on issues of importance, they attempt to stifle them and the cries of attacks on free speech are nowhere to be found.

Present day America is at a crossroads and unfortunately, the voices that have the best ideas on how to get past the obstacles faced by America are being muffled. Black voices and black protestors have always been ignored by mainstream media, but with the emergence of social media, black voices have found a platform from which they can more effectively unify and be heard. With the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, a movement which was born out of the pain of Black Americans, there is potential for America to further the quest for equality. Unfortunately, there are still many institutions that don’t wish for this equality to ever come to fruition.

Contributors: I would like to credit H. Pham for helping to edit this article