The Gantt Report
Five hundred years after Slavery Days in the United States we find that there are still more than a few people that think they can do anything they want to African American men, women and children and get away with it.
Have you forgotten how our great grandparents and other ancestors were attacked, assaulted, beaten, whipped, chained, burned, hung and, of course, shot just like Trayvon Martin was?
Most of the people that hurt our ancestors escaped justice just like the devilish beast that killed the unarmed Black Florida teenager who has never worried about being arrested.
The spirit and soul of Trayvon Martin will live on forever. If that were not true, people like me wouldn’t be writing his name, publishing or broadcasting his image, posting his experience and trending his story worldwide.
We also have to remember that some in the USA will always feel that we are less than a man. There are those that believe the next worse thing to being a slave is to be born a descendant of slaves. Black men have to use whatever means are necessary and available to protect Black children, Black women and the Black community.
Back in the day, the slaves knew the wicked slave masters and overseers were no good. Our ancestors knew you couldn’t trust the High Sheriff or any law enforcement agency. It didn’t matter if it was the Freedom Train, the Underground Railroad, the Promised Land or the Land of Plenty, most of the slaves believed that anywhere was safer and better than where they were at the time.
So, what do Black people do today? You know they march! They recently marched through the streets of Tallahassee straight to the office of Florida Governor Rick Scott and demanded a meeting.
What did Gov. Scott do? He did what any knowledgeable politician would do. He said he would do all he could to insure that justice prevails. Ask any Black person what the Governor meant by “all” and I doubt if they could tell you. But the march organizers got a ton of publicity, free publicity.
One important issue the marchers brought up concerned Florida’s “Stand Your Ground Law” which allows someone to defend themselves with deadly force in specified situations. They should have presented draft legislative language that could be considered by the legislature during any Special Legislative Session if they wanted a change in legislation.
Two Black lawyers were prominently involved in the protest activities that I like and respect, Chuck Hobbs and Mutakee Akbar (son of Naim Akbar, the famed Black psychologist). However, they are not lobbyists and should have consulted with Blacks that were not afraid to stand with them and had extensive experience about how the Florida legislative process works.
Any legislative proposal that doesn’t have good lobbyists working on its passage is just like Martin Luther King Junior, good but dead!
During Slavery Days there were always slaves that encouraged their brothers and sisters to rise up and rebel. There were some that wanted to do more. Some slaves wanted to do to whites what whites had done to them.
There are things that Blacks in Sanford, Florida can do to show the Central Florida Authorities that the shooting of Black teenagers by racist vigilantes will not be tolerated.
I can’t share any suggestions in this column but I can say even though hell is hot, the devils in Sanford and those in every other US city do not like fire!
Don’t ever be scared to stand up for your children. If you don’t want equal rights and justice for yourself, you must demand that our children be allowed to be safe from race criminals.
