The Measure of a Black Life? : A Poetic Interpretation of Hope and Discontent

) is utilized here to interpret and reflect on racialized violence and homicide in the United States. African American youth, particularly in urban communities, are disproportionately affected by violent crime, namely homicide when compared to other racial/ethnic groups. The impact of violence is heart-wrenching for families and communities; it undermines notions of personal and community safety, freedom, and equality within and between communities. It erodes the ideals of democracy in our country, particularly when racialized violence is under reported in the media, or ignored by media; and, when such violence is inadequately addressed by, or perpetrated at the hands of, law enforcement. As a performance narrative, this piece asks the question: How do we create communities of care, spaces for understanding and empathy, and utilize communities as sites for consciousness raising about the systems that perpetuate inequalities in the lives of people? This piece probes this question, and trumpets a call to end rampant violence in urban communities, promote safety and foster agency in ways that is responsive to the needs and interests ofall citizens. Abstract

since the 1950s, had peaked in the 1980s and early 1990s before experiencing a decline (9.3 homicides per 100,000 in 1992 to 4.8 homicides per 100,000 in 2010); and has remained relatively constant 1 .
Blacks are only 12.6 of the US population 2 , yet were: disproportionately represented as both homicide and victims and offenders.Data from 1980 to 2008 suggests that the victimization rate for Blacks is 27.8 per 100,000 people.The offending rate for blacks is 34.4 per 1000,000; and, males represented 77% of homicide victims and nearly 90% of offenders.The victimization rate for males (11.6 per 100,000) was three times higher than the rate for females (3.4 per 100,000).Approximately a third (34%) of murder victims and almost half (49% of offenders were under the age of 25).For both victims and offenders, the rate peaked in the 18-24 year-old age group at 17.1 victims per 100,000 and 29.3 offenders.
The homicide victimization rates for teens and young adults also prove disconcerting.The same report states that the homicide rate for teens (14 to 17 years old) increased almost 150% from 4.9 homicides per 100,000 in 1985, and remained stable through 2008.In 2008, young adults (18 to 24 years old) experienced the highest homicide victimization rate (13.4 homicides per 100,000).The victimization rates for black children under the age of 5 have remained substantially higher than rates for white children and children from other races (11.3 homicides per 100,000).Yet, most significantly are the numbers from 2008.Black males aged 18 to 24 years-old had the highest homicide victimization rate (91.1 homicides per 100,000); this rate much lower than in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when the victimization rate reached 195.9 homicides per 100,000 (in 1993).
Racial profiling is yet another issue that disproportionately leads to disparities in the experiences of Black people in America, and is a subject of academic study (Free, 1996; Frerickson & Siljander, 2002;  Weitzer & Tuch, 2002; Parker, 2008; Parker, Stults, & Lane, 2010), and media debate and scrutiny.Racial profiling is: D ata on Black homicide rates magnify a disconcerting reality for the United States.According to a United States Justice Department report, the homicide rate has increased steadily a practice that presents a great danger to the fundamental principles of our Constitution.Racial profiling disproportionately targets people of color for investigation and enforcement, alienating communities from law enforcement, hindering community policing efforts, and causing law enforcement to lose credibility and trust among the people they are sworn to protect and serve.We rely on the police to protect us from harm and to promote fairness and justice in our communities.The despicable practice of racial profiling, however, has led countless people to live in fear and created a system of law enforcement that casts entire communities as suspect 3 .Moreover, racial profiling has been recognized by the international community as a significant factor which contributes to violations of human rights.They define it as: the practice of police and other law enforcement officers relying, to any degree, on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin as the basis for subjecting persons to investigatory activities or for determining whether an individual is engaged in criminal activity.(ACLU, 2009, p. 12)   There is an overall lack of accounting for the numbers of people who have been profiled and killed by law enforcement, Consequently, the outcomes of such activity has had a significant impact on the lives of victims, their families, and communities, while serving to undermine the ideals of freedom, equality and democracy, as they American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) asserts: Policies and practices that appear race-neutral but disproportionately restrict the rights and freedoms of people of color are difficult to challenge, and establishing their discriminatory nature in the public consciousness and among policymakers is an uphill battle.(ACLU, 2009, p. 9)   In fact, several cases of profiling and violence have been magnified in the mainstream media, most notably the recent death of Trayvon Martin (Bandow, 2012) and Oscar Grant (Winter, 2010).Clearly, American citizens of all backgrounds should be concerned with policies, laws, and practices that threaten the lives ofAmerican citizens and that undermine the life, liberty and prosperity of people within our nation, specifically those in urban communities.The macro and micro-level forces that create such systems and that shape all our lives must be examined and interrogated.
Here, Spoken Word poetics (William-White, 2011a, 2011b; William-White & White, 2011; William-White, 2013) is utilized here to interpret and reflect on racialized violence and homicide in the United States.African American youth, particularly in urban communities, are disproportionately affected by violent crime, namely homicide when compared to other racial/ethnic groups.The impact of violence is heartwrenching for families and communities; it undermines notions of personal and community safety, freedom, and equality within and between communities.It erodes the ideals of democracy in our country, particularly when racialized violence is under reported in the media, or ignored by media; and, when such violence is inadequately addressed by, or perpetrated at the hands of, law enforcement.As a performance narrative, this piece asks the question: How do we create communities of care, spaces for understanding and empathy, and utilize communities as sites for consciousness raising about the systems that perpetuate inequalities in the lives of people?This piece probes this question, and trumpets a call to end rampant violence in urban communities, promote safety and foster agency in ways that is responsive to the needs and interests of all citizens.Churches amplify their calls for justice 12 And the momentum catches the winds that shape the historic moment And statistically significant disparities In frisking and searching is documented The ACLU extensively reports this Through Prof. Ayers acknowledgement 13 The union ofAmerican Civil Liberties, too, shows the racial disparities When black and brown drive through inner cities Blacks twice as likely as whites to be arrested Four times more likely to experience the use or force or threat 14 Issues such as these must be acknowledged So we can address and face it!Racial profiling an important subject Like when Bobby Rush "dons hoodie" to protest on the House floor 15 An issue that affect scores more Using his position to advocate for crimes we should ALL abhor He was poised to make a statement using his positionality Material effects consistent with affiliations he held previously Co-founded of the Illinois Black Panther Party And a former member of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee 16 This issue -profiling, we surely must take seriously it occurs often enough reports framed by Amnesty 17

[Hook:]
What is the measure of Black worth and femininity?Normative ideations of ebony people Don't account for the complexities That stem from nuanced, racialized realities US society constructs and obscures Black lives, personhood and identity pejoratively regardless of whether one is in her own community Thus, surveillance, containment And execution Not uncommon in this society It's time for us to take a stand As a country, let's develop a MASTER PLAN One that protects the lives of all in this land What is the measure of Black worth and identity?Normative ideations of ebony people Don't account for the complexities That stem from nuanced, racialized realities US society constructs and obscures Black lives, personhood and identity