Black Lives Matter – Why the System Question is relevant against Racism | Zain Raza
Black Lives Matter.
Black Lives Matter particularly when it comes misuse of power by a state whose creation has deep roots in racism, segregation and exploitation. Every single day I come across a video in the U.S. where a black person is either shot, mishandled or abused by the police. In most, if not all cases, the situation could have been resolved in a more humane and civilised manner.
The current momentum in activism creates an opportunity to address wider systemic problems that directly or indirectly impact the issue of racial injustice – an injustice that the black community has to face every single day. Martin Luther King, Jr. understood this connection very well and therefore expanded his social justice view from racial issues to systemic issues in particular to militarisation and the economy. Here are some quotes from MLK Jr. that surface this connection:
We must recognize that we can’t solve our problem now until there is a radical redistribution of economic and political power… this means a revolution of values and other things. We must see now that the evils of racism, economic exploitation and militarism are all tied together… you can’t really get rid of one without getting rid of the others… the whole structure of American life must be changed. America is a hypocritical nation and [we] must put [our] own house in order.
Source: Report to SCLC Staff, May 1967.
You can’t talk about solving the economic problem of the Negro without talking about billions of dollars. You can’t talk about ending the slums without first saying profit must be taken out of slums. You’re really tampering and getting on dangerous ground because you are messing with folk then. You are messing with captains of industry. Now this means that we are treading in difficult water, because it really means that we are saying that something is wrong with capitalism.
Source: Speech to his staff, 1966.
In my opinion, as long as we do not counter the injustices that are born out of our economic and military system, we will at best yield only cosmetic changes. Populist figures will rise that will pretend to understand. That will pretend to care. That will pretend to solve. A classic example is the former U.S. president Barack Obama, whose charisma and charm was enough to satisfy those that hungered for superficial change. In reality however progressive movements such as Occupy (which laid the groundwork for figures such as Bernie Sanders) and Black Lives Matter all developed and flourished during Obama’s tenure and have now reached a global audience. In my opinion, if Obama had addressed the underlying systemic issues that he advocated during his presidential campaign, we would have not seen figures such as Donald Trump rise to power. In effect Obama contributed to a system that continues to push the political spectrum to the right. This shift to the right affects all of our institutions such as the police force – hence it should be no surprise to us that police violence continue to manifest – even though so many videos/leaks have surfaced in the past that expose it. The question “When is this going to end?” has to be examined on a deeper level – beginning with the roots.
An economic system that is equitable and a foreign policy that is peaceful, will free up trillions of dollars that can be invested domestically to improve the lives of millions – especially for people of color – that according to studies have been hit the hardest economically since the 2008 crash. It will create employment opportunities, strengthen communal institutions, reduce stress & crime levels, etc. This will not have a trickle down or trickle up effect, rather, and more importantly. it will have a sprinkle effect on our society that will indirectly or directly impact injustice of all forms in all facets of our society. This is what Martin Luther King Jr. in my opinion saw when he expanded his realm of social justice.
I would like to end this text by shedding light on the first 10 Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that was adopted in Paris on 10 December 1948 (including by the U.S.). It is important to remind our states and our institutions of the universal principles that they promised to uphold:
Article 1
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 2
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Note: All opinions expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of acTVsm Munich.
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Zain Raza is the Founder and Senior Editor of acTVism Munich. He is a journalist, activist and cultural promoter in Munich. As an activist he co-organized a number of demonstrations in Munich which included “March Against Monsanto”, and as a cultural promoter he brought hundreds of people together with his event “Pakistani on the Menu” that presented food, arts and music from many different cultures. As a writer and journalist, Raza’s research on political and economic issues was featured on the Tribune Express from 2011-2013. In 2013 Raza founded acTVism Munich e.V.- an independent, non-profit, grassroots & bilingual media outlet. Since then Raza has directly overseen and directed the production of over 400 videos. His interviews include experts such as Edward Snowden, Wikileaks, Noam Chomsky, Daniel Ellsberg, Rainer Mausfeld, Gerald Hüther, Yanis Varoufakis, Glenn Greenwald, Frans de Waal, Nils Melzer, Jeremy Scahill, Jürgen Todenhöfer, Peter Kuznick, Michael Shermer, Jill Stein, Katja Kipping, Medea Benjamin, Hans-Christian Ströbele, Richard D.Wolff, Lawrence Wilkerson, Ernst Wolff, William Binney, Ray McGovern, Thomas Drake, Abby Martin, Annie Machon and many others. To find out more about Zain’s background, click here.
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1 reply on “Black Live Matters – Why the System Question is relevant against Racism | Zain Raza”
Racism is deep-rooted within the US institutional machine at all aspects of life since the European man set foot on that stolen land.
We’re talking about unwinding nearly 300 years of mischievous events and present it to every white American to realise what their ancestors have done, so that their nation understands the depth of the problem and how afro Americans had and still suffer in the hands of this racist and ruthless institution. The work is at the root and not just inject money to improve the lives of this segregated community. In this case we’re just treating the symptoms and not the problem.