Black Leadership, Engagement and Troy Davis: Too Damn Late

I had intended to write a beautiful theological reflection about the life of Troy Anthony Davis and how his blood was an atoning sacrifice for racism and the institutions it controls.  But like one of my students said, "It's Too Damn Late."

He's right!  This blog should have been written last week.  Scratch that, this blog post should have been written months, even years ago!  But I got stuff to do!  I had to help get a vigil together for Brother Troy...I had to help prepare for a leadership call-to-action with students.  I had to go sing in the choir at the church.  I had to go find some new clothes.  I had to talk on the phone with friends.

There were so many things that got in the way of blogging about Brother Davis.  I finally just gave up my blogging attempts...and just tried to react to all the things on my plate.  The operative word is "react."

I think I'm just like all the other black folk out there...that life is sooooo busy, the only thing I can do is react.  Or maybe, it's the only way I know how to do things because of the way I have seen in it done by Black Folk who lead.

Even where I am, I watched students learn about the saddening reality of Troy Davis late in the game, or find out about him posthumously.  This is a problem!  But the real problem is that we just waited (in ignorance).

We waited on national media to call injustice to issues that effect black and brown folk mostly.  We waited for national leaders to say something...and some of them did, but we are not involved in those organizations.  We waited for friends, church members, and family members to begin discussions about the prison industrial complex, racism, and the death penalty.

We waited until a man was dead!  Lord, have mercy on us!  The vision of the biblical Mary, The vision found in Habakkuk, and the vision that Joseph possessed were all preemptive.  If Black people are ever to have the kind of world they need, we must begin to be preemptive.  We must have vision and foresight, and not be lulled asleep by the normative narrative that others will fight on our behalf, and take care of us.  We must do more than pray for leaders...we must engage leadership.

We must speak up earlier, know more than what is handed to us, read more than what we usually do, think about more than what is on our mind, create more than we usually create, and fix ALL that is broken.  As one of my professors at Clark Atlanta University used to say (Dr. Mack Jones), "we must not be resigned to a chorus of Hosannas about how far we have come, when we have much more to do."  That thought sticks with me in this historical moment when we pull out candles, sing songs, and say Troy will never be forgotten.

After working on a student leadership event, and a vigil for Troy Davis, I'm beginning to think that my student (et al.) was right.  We are too Damn late!  Not just for Brother Davis...but for all things that REQUIRE our attention.