So You Do Understand Rebellion?

Peace to Ukraine - that’s first and foremost. Ukraine’s fight is only indirectly connected to this observation. I’m speaking more about the United States’ collective response to the situation. To date, President Joe Biden has requested more than $54 billion from Congress for military and humanitarian support for Ukraine. According to Aljazeera, the United States has also sent its 15th package of military weapons to Ukraine, dating back to August 2021. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th, 2022. Since then, it has only been a matter of time before the United States got involved, either directly or indirectly. The financial assistance is not surprising, but the financial component and the public’s outcry of support raise questions. While watching Ukraine take up arms against an invasion is commendable, you would have to be living under a rock to miss the irony. When Black people respond to state violence with anything more than a vote or a speech, the country loses its collective mind. Maybe it is a little more complicated than I am explaining, but one thing isn’t complex - the United States understands aggressive rebellion, but not against systemic racism. 

With the growth of social media over the past decade, Black Americans have been increasingly vocal about police abuse, economic neglect, health, education disparities, and countless other concerns. Unfortunately, the response from the federal government has been primarily relegated to “get out the vote” campaigns and pretending to listen during campaign season. I digress. More alarming is that they have not only ignored our cries for help - but have actively and publicly supported policies against our causes. Along with the financial assistance to Ukraine, Joe Biden’s budget also calls for $3.2 billion in “discretionary resources for state and local grants” for communities to hire more police officers. Many Americans have called to defund police as a means to allocate resources to more pressing community concerns. Funding for housing, schools, mental health assistance, and food assistance can thwart crime and reduce the need for police in general. Biden’s budget is in direct opposition to these ideas. In an announcement of his budget, he said, “I’ve said it before, the answer is not to defund our police departments, it’s to fund our police and give them all the tools they need, training and foundation and partners and protectors that our communities need.” To listen to the cries of the victims of neglect and continue to fund institutions that have perpetuated such neglect means you either care less about their pain or have no idea it exists. President Biden’s quote is a hell of a statement to make in the wake of a fairly widespread understanding of the negative impacts of policing - even if you feel they are needed. 

What do we make of such a response? As videos surface of men, women, and children being attacked and killed by police, how is your reaction to increase funding? As those resources could easily be used to fix crumbling infrastructure in poor communities around the country and schools in need of funding - or any issues the country faces, you chose to fund control and order versus growth. So what happens when these communities go unheard and start setting fires and breaking windows? Will the government set up discretionary funding to aid their rebellion - like they’re doing for Ukraine? Maybe the president will approach the podium and proclaim he is in full support of those harmed by systemic racism and applaud their bravery - encouraging them to fight back. No? It seems like the obvious response - because I thought he

understood rebellion. But, unfortunately, he’s not alone either - each citizen is showing their hypocrisy. 

We see your Ukraine flags in your yard and on your social media pages. So you do understand a not so “peaceful” response to a state inflicting violence - just not when the state is your own? I thought that arming yourself to defend your communities only begets more violence. That’s what I always hear when a Target burns down or a storefront is destroyed. I certainly heard that when Trayvon Martin was stalked and gunned down - why would he fight back instead of ignoring the 

threat? We see you gushing over Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s bravery with the constant photos of him in military gear. Will you stand with your neighbors when they react with righteous anger over what has happened to their communities, or will you pass judgment? Can you imagine a heart emoji next to a Black face wearing camouflage to defend their community against invasive forces? There’s no issue admiring Ukraine’s fight against Russia. If you think their fight is justified, then do as you will. However, I would like that same energy applied to your neighbor when the guilty party is American. Some of us have been at war for quite some time.