“One day the world will know my name.” As I sat in the church during Mike Brown’s funeral, those words were one of the few things that I remember from that moment. I had just arrived in St. Louis the night before. I stood outside for an hour to enter the sanctuary. Upon going through the doors, at the front huge pictures of Mike Brown’s image sat on display. I sat to the right of his casket.
Six gunshots rang out then Michael Brown’s body lay for four hours soulless in the middle of Canfield Drive. At his funeral, his family spoke about Mike’s desire to be impactful in the world. Shortly after that declaration, his modern day lynching would be the revolutionary spark to awaken mass participation in the struggle for justice (for all soldiers killed by the police gangs) and liberation (from the racist and oppressive police state).
Ferguson was not an isolated incident. It was a spark that ignited people in cities all across the county. We continue to stand at a critical junction. Meaning, will true revolution and revival be sparked in this country or is this another moment? In order to make this transformational, I believe we need more of the masses to be engaged and resisting the police. This movement needs to be connected to similar international struggles happening around the world, all the while, being supported and reinforced by a strong historical and critical analysis.
Over more than 100 days, people from across the country and around the world worked tirelessly to shift this moment into a movement. Time has already shown us that this is not our Grandma’s revolution beginning with the evolution of nonviolent direct action. The people are fearless in expressing their anger and frustration with the system. Technology has also played a major role in providing a virtual platform for communication and coordination in real time, yet controlled by the people.
While social media continues to play a critical role for rebellions in the 21st century, what has been interesting is the impact of decentralized leadership (DCL). It’s not one face leading the movement. We are many. DCL has its issues, but provides an echo chamber for messaging (especially via social media) while affording space to frame the same values from a variety of different perspectives (LGTBQ, women, faith based, etc.)
The moment is here. And we have been successful in making it something more. However, we have not tipped the rock of oppression over the cliff. Moving forward there are a few things we must do. As Jay-Z puts it, “I don’t believe you, you need more people.” It is imperative that we organize new people into the movement. We need more Mama Cat’s, a chef in St. Louis whose mantra, is used to feed and fuel the movement. We need more Cheyenne’s, a young momma that wants to dedicate her life to the work. We need more Abby Bobe’s and Detric Fox-Quilan’s. Though not from St. Louis, they have interrupted their lives to support the organizers and activists of Ferguson through technology and identifying critical resources.
Our struggle is an international one. Oppression is the same, whether you are American, Brazilian, or South African. We live in a world where global is local, therefore it is imperative that we connect our struggle with the struggles around the world. Continued development of a historical analysis, research and studying of past rebellions is also critical to developing the best strategy. It is important to remember that we have not begun to experience the retaliation from the state (think Jim Crow, crack, and mass incarceration).
Six shots and four hours later, Mike Brown will be forever remembered in history. But it is up to us to decide if it will be for a revolution or just another moment.
