References
1. ABC13.com. (September 2016). Sandra Bland’s family says civil suit settled for $1.9M. Retrieved from https://abc13.com/news/sandra-bland-family-says-civil-suit-settled-for-$19m/1512442/
2. Ali, S. Nbcnews.com. (May 2017). Cop in Jordan Edwards shooting was ordered to anger management for past behavior. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/cop-jordan- edwards-shooting-was-ordered-anger-management-past-behavior-n754996
3. Chammah, M. (September 2016). The Marshall project. Sandra Bland, one year later. Her death at a Texas jail spurred a striking amount of reform talk across political lines. Retrieved from https://www.themarshallproject.org/2016/07/12/sandra-bland-one-year-later#.hoViWWsQm
4. Dart, T., The Guardian.com. (July 2015). Sandra Bland’s death in police custody puts spotlight on Texas jail standards. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/29/sandra-bland-police- custody-deaths
5. DataUSA. (2018). Police officers. Retrieved from https://datausa.io/profile/soc/333050/
6. Mappingpoliceviolence.org. (2014/2015). Police violence report. Retrieved from https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/2015
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7. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. (October 2018). Criminal justice fact sheet. Retrieved from https://www.naacp.org/criminal-justice-fact-sheet/
8. Salinger, T., New York Daily News. (July 2016). Nearly 7000 people died in Texas police and jail custody in the past decade, report finds. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/7-000-people-died-custody-texas-decade-article-1.2730186
9. Vagianos, A., Huffington Post. (2018). Terry Crews explained why fighting off his assailant wasn’t an option as a black man. The “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” actor discussed his sexual assault before a Senate committee. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/terry-crews- fighting-off-assailant-not-an-option_us_5b326908e4b0b5e692f1cb36
10. Washington Post. (December 2015). A year of reckoning: Police fatally shoot nearly 1,000. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2015/12/26/a-year-of- reckoning-police-fatally-shoot-nearly-1000/?utm_term=.26f9eecdb688
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3 The Oppressed Always Rebel Eventually
The oppressed always rebel eventually. Do you agree with this statement? Whether you do or not, it has been proven true throughout the course of human history. Whether these endeavors were successful, well-planned, carefully executed, or hopelessly inept, nothing seems to unite people together more than a revolt against oppression. Even in the face of certain death, and where victory seemed to be a very far stretch, human beings often choose freedom over tyranny and oppression and are generally willing to risk death to obtain it.
Most are familiar with some classic examples such as the ancient Israelites who rebelled against the tyranny of Roman occupation. The Romans crushed the Jewish rebellion in 70 A.D. resulting in Jerusalem’s total annihilation and the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Hebrews including the destruction of their beloved holy temple. In an act of defiance, over 900 Jews chose to committ suicide at the fort of Masada as an alternative to imprisonment and torture by Roman soldiers who were closely moving in to capture them. Similarly, from the beginning of their enslavement in the 17th century, Africans attempted to escape and revolt against their white rulers.
Consider also the steadfast American colonists, though smaller in number and ill equipped, who revolted against the tyranny of the British Empire, which ←19 | 20→possessed the most formidable navy in the world at that time. During the 1970s many Cambodians, Thai, Burmese, and Vietnamese people rebelled against the Khmer Rouge regime, resulting in the brutal torture and murder of thousands of insurrectionists. Mass gave sites are still being uncovered today.
The list of uprisings by one ethnic group in response to subjugation by another is seemingly endless. This book cannot capture all or even most of them. American history is replete with such rebellions, one has to wonder as to why so many people, especially Caucasians, seem dumbfounded by the fact that black people in America continue to rise up and speak out in the face of systemic racism and oppression. The question should not be why or how black people respond to racism in America, but rather, when and how the nation will respond?
The Devil’s Advocate
Every story has two sides, representing two opposing viewpoints, each with its own collection of evidence and facts, and staunch advocacy. For decades, race has been one of the major issues illustrating the line in the sand between the Democratic and Republican parties, or the liberal and conservative positions, respectively.
In the beginning, both parties were one. They were called the Democratic-Republican Party. Over time both the Republican and Democratic parties changed their beliefs and they eventually split from what is known today as the Republican and Democratic parties. Politically they oppose each other and battle over America’s socio-political system. The 7th U.S. President, Andrew Jackson, is the founder of the Democratic Party. The Republican Party was founded by President Abraham Lincoln. Toward the Democrat’s party beginning, they feuded with the Republicans over the issue of slavery and the expansion of federal power. President Jackson and the early Democratic Party leaders were vehemently in support of slavery, fueling the political atmosphere that subsequently led to the great American Civil War.
In the 1860s, the Republican Party was initially liberal and controlled most of the northern states and was responsible for increasing the power of the federal government. Under Republican control, lofty endeavors, such as the state university system, the homesteaders act of 1862, and other various laws protecting freed slaves were established.
The Democrats, who controlled most of the southern states, formed a more religiously conservative party and historically opposed the imposition of federal ←20 | 21→government taxes as well as supported the institution of slavery. It was around 1936 when the Democratic Party shifted from conservative to liberal with the election of Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s New Deal policies brought about a wave of social and economic reforms, including the institution of the welfare and social security systems, and the federal regulation of banks. Many African Americans were excluded from enjoying these New Deal benefits that ultimately hindered their communities from advancing economically.
Prior to 1936, the Republican and Democratic parties fluctuated