In 1955 a law abiding, upstanding, contributing member of society took a stand against racial injustice in the United States and became a martyr for her community. Her name was Rosa Parks. Upon seeing the injustice of racial segregation on public buses, Rosa Parkes refused to leave her seat for the blacks only section. It was a small stance, but a powerful one that ultimately resulted in the Montgomery bus boycotts which then lead to the racial desegregation on Public Buses.
The perfect martyr
What I find amazing about Rosa Parkes’ act of civil disobedience, was how she conducted herself. When she was asked to move to the blacks only section, she politely refused. When the police arrested her, she did not resist the arrest, but did as the officer said. Throughout her trials, she allowed the legal system to work and at no point did she try to inflame her supporters. Perhaps, due to her outstanding character, her supporters, instead of using any form of violence, showed their solidarity by boycotting the Montgomery Public Buses. It is no wonder that Rosa Parkes holds such a high position in the African-American community. She wasn’t just a person who was penalized due to racial injustice, but she was also a person of outstanding character.
Criminal martyrs
For a while now, I have been disappointed by the type of people the black community use as symbols of racial injustice. In 1991 when Rodney King was beaten by the LAPD, the black community rallied around his cause. When the police officers were found not guilty by an ethnically diverse panel of jury members, the black community rioted. The Los Angeles riots caused 53 deaths, 2,383 injuries, more than 7,000 fires, damage to 3,100 businesses, and nearly $1 billion in financial losses. Hardly the type of response that would make any law-abiding citizen proud.
But what I found more interesting was the fact that Rodney King is now in the books of African-American martyrs like Rosa Parkes. Let’s remember that previous to Rodney King being beaten, he was involved in an hours long high speed chase with the police whilst driving under the influence whilst in contravention of his parole conditions due to a previous conviction of robbery. Not exactly a fantastic guy - which his criminal record shows. His famous question “Can we all get along?” is still revered to this day. When in reality, Rodney King was a person who never got along with anybody, not even his wife (who he beat). He robbed and assaulted his way through life. This is not to say I condone the police beating him, it is simply to say, Rodney King should not be viewed along the same lines as Rosa Parkes, and anything he says should not be treated with any level of deference.
But the martyrs the black community has chosen in recent years are truly a bizarre bunch. It is a long list of criminals, and those who refuse to follow police instructions. Eric Garner for instance had about 30 criminal convictions on his record before his death (and his death occurred while he was engaged in yet another illegal activity). Previous to Michael Brown’s death, Brown had robbed a convenience store. The death of Trayvon Martin only occurred after he beat up George Zimmerman, and Zimmerman shot in self-defence. These people are hardly what you would you call fine, upstanding citizens.
And the supporters of these new martyrs don’t get much better. The Ferguson riots were an utter disgrace that only resulted in the destruction of black communities. The shooting of the five Dallas Police officers was bound to happen with the amount of calls for police deaths emanating from the black community. It was only two years ago that two police officer were shot execution style for the same reasons.
Black leaders
But should all of this really be surprising? Consider this, the man that Obama uses as his “go-to” guy for all things black has been found guilty of defamation and has spent the better part of his life evading tax. Al Sharpton is the type of person whose very existence revolves around grievance. You only hear about him when he is complaining. His ponly contribution to society has been the stoking of racial tension; the very thing Martin Luther King wanted to avoid.
Now, all of this is not to say the black community doesn’t have some real grievances; they certainly do. What this is saying is the black community should be more careful as to who it elevates and treats as martyrs and leaders. For martyrs and leaders become role models. And do we really want young African-Americans modelling themselves after Rodney King or Al Sharpton?