I am an antiracist member of PLP and was honored to be asked to join a contingent of New York families who have lost loved ones to racist police murder for the trip to Washington, DC, for the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March (MMM) called by misleader Louis Farrakhan. We arrived at a gathering Friday night. It was supposed to be a chance for the families to get together and share their stories. Every grieving face you’ve seen on TV for the last twenty years was in that room, determined to honor their loved ones and do whatever they can to achieve justice.
Imagine my surprise when twenty minutes in, I was taking part in a walkout orchestrated by the New York families. The ruling-class media and certain organizations have created tension between some families. They are determined to make celebrities out of the latest victims of police murder, divvying up airtime, talk time, and face time based on how much attention the murder of your loved one received. The murders of our families are not a popularity contest! Every single one is an equal attack on our class and demands organized outrage.
So after traveling from all over New York with the faulty promise of being able to share their stories, these women leaders —mothers, sisters, and aunts—refused to stand for the lousy one minute they were allotted to quickly say their name and the name of their murdered loved ones. We left! They trashed the attempt to turn the murder of their loved ones into a token recognition. The organizers of this MMM show think the blood of our families is a game!
What the cops and bosses don’t realize is that they end up fueling a family of anti-racist fighters, bonded together through tragic circumstances. We can learn a lot from these women who refuse to give up hope and continue to fight. They are refusing to let this system off the hook.
On the day of the march, we dressed in red with the pictures of the slain on our chest. We went through metal detectors to get the wristbands that would lead us in front the monument. If your wristband had a star on it, you were guaranteed a seat, but it would also mean you were separated from your other family members and supporters who traveled with you.
The divisive tactics and competition didn’t end there. It was a constant struggle to make it to the stage. There were not enough seats. As if that was not insulting enough, of the ten families who were told they would be allowed to speak, only two actually got the chance. Family members separated by the stage struggled to get back together afterwards.
How disgusting! These families deserve more than to be paraded out when it suits the politicians and capitalist stooges. They need the solidarity that only the working class can provide. This system must not get off the hook for the murders of our class sisters and brothers. It is a very promising development that Progressive Labor Party is now positioned to make these points from inside the movement.