we have submitted the petition.  Thank you for standing up for justice...the struggle continues.  In parting let me leave you with this...and my heart felt thanks....

Dear America -a letter from the margins

Have you checked in on your black/Black citizens? Have you noticed they are a tad bit pissed? Did you realize that Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben had been retired after decades of unpaid work, appropriation of their talents, and theft of their ideas? Did anyone mourn or even wonder why John Henry had never been promoted, but died to prove he was better than a machine? Sojourner Truth still asks why ain't I good enough to adorn your money when eugenicists are? Civil war black heroes wonder where the hell are their monuments, as those of white Confederates line our malls, parks and office buildings. Damn glad you allowed us to play your gladiator sports, giving you a glimpse at our fortitude and primary reason we were so desired as unpaid labor. Did you ever wonder why we created the blues and the gospels, soul and grief, hip hop and punk? Our joy and pain, our frustration and our dreams, our tears and our laughter, like fine wine aged in the cauldron of your ghettos, prisons, and forgotten places. Have you checked with your BLACKS to see how they are faring in this season of discontent, as their bodies are battered and bruised, as their minds are shattered with grief, as their voices are worn with screams "I can't breathe"? Do you wonder, as you ask them again to fix your problems created by your white fragility, while assuring you that "you" are OK? Have you asked are they ok? America have you checked on your Blacks, aa you continue to check their status concerned that they may progress too fast? Have you wondered if their quiet moments are simmering embers ready to erupt in the fire next time? Just asking for a friend on the margins.

Asking for a friend on the margins

Rodney Coates