I’ll Be Damned…

Yesterday was incredibly emotional, and absolutely beautiful! It started emotional because, while I was trying to find the words to say at the Our Opportunity To Love Rally, my memories of what my grandparents endured kept populating. Then there was the pressure of sharing the stage with some HEAVY HITTERS!

There were so many highlights of the day…

1. I arrived a little after 9a to find three of Michai’s teammates already there waiting to obtain their Crosby Scholars volunteer hours. They had already met Karen, aka Miss KK, of The Feelings Company, and she had already given them some marching orders 🤦🏾‍♀️. I was hoping to beat them there to prepare them for her bossiness, but they did EVERYTHING she and everyone else asked them to do. They were also encouraged by one of the Black male volunteers, who works for Reynolds American, about their post graduation plans.

2. I was greeted by a friend I went to grad school with. We never had any classes together, but I met her and her Mother on a trip we took with the University to Europe in 2007 I believe. We immediately connected and kept in touch since. She and her son, seen in the cover photo, are originally from up north, but moved to Charlotte because he was being groomed for a gang in the SECOND grade. Miss KK couldn’t stop talking about how emotional she became watching him and some other kids swinging on the playground, and how carefree they were because they were safe.

3. Witnessing a very successful businessman (also an HBCU Grad) come to show his support for Miss KK. I did not know the background of their relationship, but seeing her entire being shift when she saw who got out of a very unique car. He stayed a while to see what was going on and I was able to share with him how Kellie’s the female version of him because they both care deeply about the community, are very humble and would rather be behind the scenes.

4. Watching Dr. Larry Little watch the events of the day. While I had to ask him to move out of the view of the livestream 🙂, he kept his presence very low key. Many didn’t know he was there, and based on his energy I wasn’t going to make a scene about. I did, however, make sure I thanked him before he quietly exited. For those who don’t know, Dr. Little is a former Black Panther and profound WSSU Political Science Professor. It was an honor to have his support.

5. My parents and Michai arrived just in time to hear me speak, and I was able to get the stream up for other family and friends to watch. I’ve seen my Dad twice this week and he looked well both days…that says a lot after the last 37 years. There were some guests who were looking for Michai more than they were looking for me, but he’s so reserved and, with a mask on, people can’t tell whether he wants to be bothered. 🤦🏾‍♀️

The beauty of the weather reflected the beauty of the event, but it can’t/won’t stop there. We need money to take our streets back and we don’t need anymore surveys to prove why. Shooting at a Pop Warner Football Field should be enough. Read my speech below…

Love Rally

I know this is a rally about love, and love can be shown in different forms. While what I have to say may not give you the warm and fuzzy feeling love is traditionally portrayed to offer, I stand here with nothing but love for the community I was born and continue to live in.

I am Micha of Michaismom.com. I’m also the host of the Our Kijiji Vlog, where Kijiji stands for Village in Swahili. I stand before you with a heavy heart as I think about being a parent and all that’s transpiring in the classrooms and on the football fields on Thursday/Friday nights and Saturdays. I think about my Mom’s parents…her Dad who served in the Korean War and came back having to work 3 jobs, one of which was for RJ Reynolds, what is now Reynolds American. He HAD to be good at it because he was responsible for training white men who came in with less education, no experience but made more money. My Mom’s mother, who miscarried a child while at the beach caring for a white family who refused to allow her to seek medical treatment. That Grandmother also started my love for WSSU because she would walk in the snow to make sure she was on her post to oversee the ladies in Moore Hall.

My Dad’s Mom had a 10th grade education, but strived to become a homeowner of a house that used to reside on 18th Street; what is now New Hope Lane. She worked extremely hard for her children and grandchildren. As I watched her live her truth as a member of the LGBTQ+ community before they received “human rights”, she taught me to live MY truth. A single mother birthing a Black male in this cold, cold world. She is also part of the reason I’m vegan because her Mac and Cheese was so good but VERY thick!

Our Kijiji is a subsidiary of Action4Equity. Action4Equity was originally Action4Ashley. I met with Kellie and team and listened to their plans. Plans that were projected to take YEARS. I told them I’d be back at the implementation phase. We were recently in a training and discussed surveys of minorities who are adversely affected by lack of resources. I asked how many more surveys are needed to learn what many Black people already know? Some of what we’re facing is similar to what my grandparents faced. Give us the resources we need and we’ll get the work done FASTER. The ideas that organizations, such as Action4Equity and the like, have shouldn’t take years to implement…give them the money they need to function and they can get the job done FASTER.

The Women’s Gun Violence Prevention Coalition was already in play prior to the shooting at Mount Tabor. Give us the funding we need to do the work we’re already doing so we can do it FASTER. I say faster because we are going to work with and for our community regardless.

This rally was organized in 30 days.

You know what else won’t take long to get together if we organize, parents? OUR CHILDREN!!! You have people out here ready and willing to make sure no more of our children are lost to violent deaths or prison but that means we have to admit they aren’t perfect. They may need a tutor…it doesn’t mean they are dumb, they may need a therapist…it doesn’t mean they are crazy, they may need to be punished…it doesn’t mean they’re bad and we may need to let other adults constructively correct them…it doesn’t mean we are poor parents. It means WE NEED HELP!

We have gotten away from the adage of it taking a village/Kijiji to raise a child. We have to get back to that, or we will be deep in a pandemic other than Covid. Educators who are already underpaid are threatening to leave the profession because they are having a hard time dealing with our children and aren’t getting enough support from us.

Check their phones. They have an iPhone? Clone it. Pop up at school. If you see another child doing something that may get them in trouble, RESPECTFULLY say something to them. What I’m witnessing is parents talking to kids crazy and then expecting them to not respond. STOP IT! We all have jobs to do and we ALL need help doing it. Any speaker you see today will do whatever we can to get you the help you need.

To the community members…fight to get the organizations you see represented the funding needed and understand that may be ALL we need. We may not need your input, and I respectfully ask you to be okay with that. We aren’t looking for favors, we’re looking for fairness and if we’re honest with ourselves, we know what fairness looks like and…this ain’t it.

We know better…we can do better…we MUST do better and I don’t believe it’ll take us years to do it. I’ll be damned if I leave this earth fighting the same adversities my grandparents faced.

Y’all continue to be vigilant, be careful, and I pray we continue to be well.

I’ll leave you as I leave Our Kijiji viewers each week…

The only constant in life is change. In a perfect world, we would be able to adjust accordingly, but in this world, I ask you to not be afraid to ask for help as you adjust. After all, this is OUR KIJIJI…For Us, By Us…to help us be our Best Us. Until next time…