I have seen the video several times of the riverfront dock worker Damien Pickett being attacked by several white men and women who refused to move their pontoon as advised in Montgomery Alabama. What I saw was a man attempting to do his job so that he can provide for himself and his family. Yet his attempt to earn an honest living was met with ignorance, privilege, and brutality. Detering one from the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is the crux of racism.
As a Black American watching this video from the comforts of my home, I was immensely triggered. I can only imagine the range of emotions experienced by those who witnessed this evil in person which is why a group emerged who ran to help him.
Although many of us were not alive during the civil rights era, our parents and grandparents were and we have heard their stories of pain and affliction at the hands of prejudice. We have seen the images of people who look like us being lynched, attacked, denied, and left for dead on the side of dark “small-town” roads and this incident served as a reminder and brought to the forefront for us the pain of that era.
Although we collectively celebrate on-site justice well served let us never forget:
- Trauma from a racist era still courses through our DNA and it is urgent that we heal and care for our psyche
- We are our brother’s keeper and the best at it
- Racism still exists