:: The Price of Patriotism ::

America's eyes are open wide shut to the relentless persecution of blacks by racist white people in this country, and their misuse of emergency 911 calls to the police to aid them in their discrimination and racial profiling of blacks. As Americans, we watch these horrific episodes being played over and over again through the lens of social media; as racists are given a pass to abuse emergency 911 calls and trespassing laws to have blacks arrested for doing absolutely nothing wrong.

It's uncanny, in many ways in its resemblance to Civil Rights era Jim Crow laws, and no one seems to be doing anything about it. This reckless behavior puts innocent black people in handcuffs and in jail, while onlookers watch in utter disbelief. This America is our truth.

"Make America Great Again is nothing more than code for Make America White Again. Giving privileged white Americans the right to discriminate against blacks."

We all heard the sentiments in an announcement made by President Trump at one of his rallies in North Carolina, just before he was elected President. When Trump stated that he would pay the legal fees of a white man that sucker-punched a black protester. This was his national call-to-action in my opinion to "Make America Great Again" and his unwavering support for white nationalists.

We heard it again in Charlottesville Virginia, during a white supremacist rally, when Trump seemed to side with white nationalists initially, condemning the violence on "many sides". I could go on, but it's clear to me that we live in a country where two Americas exists. One that puts police officers against black and brown Americans, and threatens their safety, and one that seems to make it ok for white Americans to call the police on black Americans, and have them arrested for just being black.

This is the America we celebrate on the 4th of July. It's the America our troops, of all nationalities, die and fight for, and the America we all stand for during the national anthem--and in many cases are willing to take a knee for regardless of the consequences, or the price we have to pay to the NFL. As we celebrate this 4th of July, and in times of racial uncertainty let us all remember, a very wise man once said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

In Solidarity,

William J. Booker

"In the case of the American Negro, from the moment you are born every stick and stone, every face, is white. Since you have not yet seen a mirror, you suppose you are, too. It comes as a great shock around the age of 5, 6, or 7 to discover that the flag to which you have pledged allegiance, along with everybody else, has not pledged allegiance to you. It comes as a great shock to see Gary Cooper killing off the Indians, and although you are rooting for Gary Cooper, the Indians are you."

— James Baldwin "The American Dream and the American Negro" (March 7, 1965)