Inarticulate rant ahead:

One of the most compelling things I read in college was a transcript of Malcolm X's "Ballot or the Bullet." It's a brilliant argument that leverages the Lockean social contract we define our civil fabric by. If people are granted natural rights to life, liberty, and representation (or the consent of the governed) and the government infringes on that right, by the Lockean standard there is an imperative to rebel. It's what we used in the Declaration of Independence to justify the revolution of 1776 and in that case the colonial grievance was over paying taxes that reimbursed the French-Indian war. A strong case can be made that the oppression and segregation of black people in the US was (and arguably is) worse than the casus belli for the Revolutionary War. To be clear, the speech was provided in April of 1964, after Malcolm X had left the Nation of Islam. He was advocating for participation in the civil process of the US at this point. So I don't know if you were wondering my thoughts on NOI.

Anyway, the point is that after graduating college these past few years I've been watching how we address black people advocating for their rights. No matter what people do in protest or advocacy, it seems like it's called inappropriate. "Black lives matter is an insult to the people on the line of duty" or "It's racist, because all lives matter!" or "Kneeling during the anthem is disrespectful!" I can't help but wonder what type of protest would be considered appropriate by white people. Yet, in my heart of hearts, I know the answer is that no form of protest is "appropriate." And if no protest is permissible yet oppression persists, I find it harder to claim moral indignation if the efforts to be heard continue to escalate. We're in a strange space where civil disobedience has lost its capacity to affect change. The virtue of civil disobedience is that in breaking the law, you demonstrate the immorality of the law when you are punished in due process. But the efficacy of civil disobedience requires empathy and compassion for people. I feel like we're in a major empathy deficit right now, so I question how effective civil disobedience can be.

I look at the results in Alabama this month where the US was spared Roy Moore becoming a senator and it was due to the overwhelming turnout of black voters. I would love if we could make the conversation about racism and oppression in our country an active, ongoing reflection and not just when it's time for an election and we need votes of people of color. This country was built by the sweat, blood, and labor of persons of color. They have earned the right to be listened to and their concerns are being swept under the rug. We need empathy and compassion. We need to listen, reflect, and change.