The Struggle Against Racism in Rocky Mount, North Carolina

by Fatimah Bakr

I have lived in Rocky Mount, NC, for many years. Black people are still stereotyped 

every day. The signs of racism will not go away. You'll shop in some stores and stores
you don't shop in due to racist attitudes. Sometimes you will run into a white cashier;
you give them your money, then when it is time to get your change, they'll put it on the
counter or let it fall to the counter.

I'll make a statement like, "did I give you my money that way?" Then I have to pick up 

my change off the counter. Another common scenario is when you are in a store looking 

around as a Black woman, you will be followed and asked if you need any help. I've
worked in retail; we'd ask patrons if they need help as soon as they enter the store, not
after they've been followed around the store.

This is not the only racial discrimination faced by People of Color in Rocky Mt. NC. I 

continue to see that Caucasian people don’t like seeing Black people drive through their 

neighborhoods. In addition, we have to deal with the police stopping Black people for 

minor things. The threat of police brutality and injustice keeps people in fear in the Black
community.

A young mother was stopped for speeding while driving her daughters to daycare. 

Although the officer told her not to get out of her car, she said to the officer, "that she was 

letting her girls out to go in the building and tell the teacher to record what was taking 

place," The officer then threw her on the ground, causing her hair to be scraped off of her 

scalp, she also had a few bruises and skin scraps on different parts of her body.

I consider this police brutality and violence against women. But, unfortunately, I continue 

to see white officers use aggressive policing to put fear in Women of Color in Rocky Mount. 

I have asked a few people about the racism they see In Rocky Mount, but they continue to 

be fearful and reluctant to speak up.

The main thing I don’t like to see as a citizen of Rocky Mount is a Black man being stopped 

for something routine, and then within a few minutes, there will be as many as 5 police cars 

who'll arrive at the traffic stop. It's very intimidating to see that many police officers show up 

for 1 or 2 individuals. There's always the potential for another innocent, unarmed Black 

person to get killed.

I'm a concerned citizen; I belong to an organization located in Raleigh, NC, with ties to 

Rocky Mt. called Muslims for Social Justice; they teach that concerned citizens have the 

power to stand up to any injustice by uniting and organizing to change the balance of power 

in situations like these, by speaking out as a united group of citizens to demand the police 

change their tactics and policies, and how they interact with the Black and Brown Community.

This is also why groups like Refund Raleigh were formed and are calling for defunding police 
abuse and killing of Black citizens, and putting that money to better use providing more 
resources to Communities of Color. All I can do at this time of need is to pray for my people.
I pray we will continue to organize and abolish racism and all forms of oppression in this
country.

From Mourning to Organizing for Justice

Anti-colonial writer Frantz Fanon exclaimed decades ago, “When we revolt, it's not for a particular culture. We revolt simply because, for many reasons, we can no longer breathe!” His prophetic words became a tragic reality for Eric Garner who repeated "I can't breathe" eleven times as he died on July 14, 2014, while in a chokehold by a New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer. I can't breathe has become a metaphor for oppressive survival in a racist society.

There was an outrage when images of Alton Sterling being shot multiple times circulated on the media. Sterling was killed while he was held to the ground by Louisiana police officers. This outrage turned into a revolt when, just one day later, a video of fatal shooting of Philando Castile, this time by a Minnesota police officer, circulated on the media. Anti-racism activists mobilized across the country against these killings. However, they were quickly demonized in the wake of the tragic shooting of five police officers in Dallas, TX. Before the dust settled on Dallas tragedy, former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh declared on Twitter, "3 Dallas Cops killed, 7 wounded. This is now war. Watch out Obama. Watch out black lives matter punks. Real America is coming after you." What started as a revolt against police brutality was met with an immediate attempt to criminalize the movement and suffocate dissent. 

Mourning the death of Sterling and Castile, and not allowing the Dallas tragedy dampen the #BlackLivesMatter movement, were major themes during vigils in Raleigh. North Carolina-based Black Workers for Justice, condemned police brutality and institutional racism. They also emphasized the need to raise voice against other oppressions, including Islamophobia. Muslims have been all too familiar when tragic instances are hijacked to de-humanize the entire Muslim community. Black Workers for Justice statement read:

"We must not be deterred from challenging these police killings of our people. Like the mainstream media and government efforts to use the Orlando, FL, massacre to promote Islamophobia, the Dallas, TX, shootings of police will be another attempt to place the blame on the movement for Black liberation highlighted by the slogan Black Lives Matter."

Raleigh has seen police brutality of its own when Black youth Akiel Denkins was killed by a Raleigh police officer on February 29, 2016. His killing led to the establishment of a coalition demanding justice in policing, called Raleigh PACT or Police Accountability Community Taskforce. PACT played a key role in organizing the vigil to create a space for mourning and healing in the wake of murders of Denkins, Sterling, Castile and a Black man Jerry Williams killed in Asheville on July 2, 2016. Denkin's mother, Rolanda Byrd, spoke against police brutality and called for justice during the vigil. "It has taken a tragedy, the five officers that were killed in Dallas, to wake up the conversation on how black families are being treated on a daily basis," Byrd said during her speech.

The fact that Alton Sterling was killed while selling CDs and Eric Garner was killed while selling loose cigarettes has highlighted the oppressive subsistence living conditions for many Black Americans, whose real crime is being Black and poor. During a prayer vigil at As-Salaam Islamic Center in Southeast Raleigh, there was a call for diverting money to Black-owned businesses and banks. South East Raleigh has established a Black and Brown led food co-op, called Fertile Ground, in a predominantly Black neighborhood designated by the local government as a “food desert”. Building indigenous economy and providing healthy food to the marginalized communities are at the core of co-op's mission of grassroots empowerment.

The recent murders of Black people have taken place at a distance, but they are close to the lived experience of many in North Carolina. After mourning, there was a movement in the community to organize for justice.

Statement of Solidarity with Duke Sit-In

MSJ Statement of Solidairty with Duke Sit-In

Muslims for Social Justice stands in solidarity with Duke community who are fighting against racism and attacks on workers at Duke campus. Duke University is built by and operates on the backs of Black and Brown workers who are victims of racism and worker abuse. We commend sit-in by students to expose this historic racism and attacks on workers, including a recent incident where a Black worker was struck by car and allegedly verbally assaulted with "N" word by Duke's Executive Vice President Tallman Trask. We demand justice for this racist, anti-worker attack! We also support Duke community's demand that minimum wage at Duke University should be raised to $15. All workers deserve living wage for their labor! We demand amnesty for students who are part of the sit-in campaign. We join hands with justice loving community at Duke University and beyond to abolish white supremacy, economic exploitation and all forms of oppression. 

Picture Source: Anastasia Karkalina

Learn more here:

Duke's Executive Vice President Tallman Trask Hit Parking Attendant with Car, Accused of Using Racial Slur

http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2016/02/dukes-executive-vice-president-tallman-trask-hit-parking-attendant-with-car-accused-of-using-racial-slur

Duke University Student Protesters Continue to Occupy Main Building Amid Race Row

www.independent.co.uk/student/news/duke-university-student-protesters-continue-to-occupy-main-building-amid-race-row-a6969796.html

Duke University Sit-in Reaches 5th Day:

http://wncn.com/2016/04/05/duke-university-student-protesters-sit-in-reaches-5th-day/

Vigil and March for #OurThreeBrothers

A Vigil for Three Black Muslims murdered execution-style in Indiana

On Feb 24th, Taha Omar, Adam Mekki, and Muhammad Tairab, Sudanese-Americans from a predominately Muslim community, were murdered “execution style” in Fort Wayne, Indiana. There was little media coverage or outcry of community support for the horrible crime committed against these young black men. The media quickly painted a “black thug” narrative and there was a relative silence within non-Black Muslim community.

As a response, a vigil and march was organized in the memory of “Our Three Brothers” by Black, People of Color and Muslim organizers in Durham, NC on March 8, 2016. The march started at Ibad Ar-Rahman Masjid on Fayetteville Rd and marched to North Carolina Central University. Participants held banners and chanted slogans in protest of anti-black racism and islamophobia. The march was supported by residents, passers-by and students, mostly Black and People of Color.

Learn more about this tragedy here:

#OurThreeBrothers – Mourning the Loss of Three Innocent Lives

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/muslimahnextdoor/2016/02/ourthreebrothers-mourning-the-loss-of-three-innocent-lives/

““There is definitely a reason why my cousins and friend are not getting as much media coverage, and it is because they were black,” Dahab says, in an exclusive interview. “There is discrimination in the Islamic community on who is really a legitimate Muslim and there is a belief that if you are not from the Middle East, you are not as Islamic as someone from Saudi Arabia for example,” he continues.”

http://www.okayafrica.com/news/our-three-brothers/

#OurThreeBrothers – Do You See Us Black Muslims Now

http://muslimgirl.net/20618/ourthreebrothers-see-us-black-muslims-now/

Muslims for Social Justice Statement on AME Massacre

Muslims for Social Justice is deeply shocked and saddened at the murder of nine worshippers at the historic Black church - Emanuel African Methodist “Mother Emmanuel” Church in Charleston on June 17, 2015. We pray for the victims of this unbelievable tragedy. While authorities have called it a “hate crime”, we emphasize that this was a white-supremacist and terrorist attack. The murderer's picture donning Apartheid South African and racist Rhodesian regime flags indicate his allegiance to the racist ideology. Based on news quote from a survivor, terrorist yelled “You rape our women. You're taking over our country. You have to go,"” before he killed his victims. The terrorist reportedly left a survivor unharmed so she could recount the story of his terror to others. The Charleston massacre is a continuation of more than two hundred years of attacks, lynchings, shootings, bombings and burning of Black sacred spaces - historical tactics deployed by white supremacists to terrorize Black communities. One has to be reminded that the date of this massacre, June 17^th, 2015, coincides with the 193^rd anniversary of slave rebellion plot orchestrated in the same church by black leader Denmark Vesey.

The Charleston massacre comes at the heels of a global racist assault where Haitian descendants in the Dominican Republic are being forcefully deported from the country where they have lived for generations. Haiti was founded after a slave rebellion that had deep resonance on the U.S. South. Mr. Vesey had plans for a slave rebellion to free slaves in the US South and migrate to Haiti in 1822. That slave rebellion was crushed by the slaveholders and Haiti was punished by imperialist forces for centuries. The ugliness of white supremacy in the U.S.A. and the plight of the Haitians in the Dominican Republic reinforce the need for a global movement against racism.

In the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims for Social Justice believes Muslims should increase resolve to ending white supremacy and all forms of oppression. We support a call by the Muslim chaplain and activist Kameelah Mu'Min Rashad that Friday, June 19, 2015, should be a day when imam and khatibs throughout the USA should deliver khutbahs (Friday prayer sermons) that include prayer for Mother Emmanuel AME Church victims and moblize all Muslims to become an active part of the #BlackLivesMatter and anti-racism movement. We also urge Imams and khateebs to elaborate on the history of slavery and racism in the USA, especially the 150^th anniversary of ending of slavery (Juneteenth) that will be commemorated on June 19, 2015. This history is also relevant in the USA since slaves were the first to celebrate Ramadan in this nation. We believe there is a need to go beyond education and practical steps are needed to end all vestiges of racism within the non-Black Muslim community and in the broader non-Muslim community.

Muslims for Social Justice has launched a series of forums to challenge the twin evils of Islamophobia and racism in the USA. We plan to offer workshops on racism and Islamophobia in the future. We call on Muslim community to join us in challenging white supremacy in all its forms, whether murders of black and brown people by police, school-to-prison-pipeline, prison-industrial-complex, environmental racism, gentrification or the war on poor. It is essential to merge our struggles, ranging from Palestine freedom, justice for Rohingya Muslims, Islamophobia in the USA to #BlackLivesMatter movement and ending all forms of oppression in the USA. 

“O ye who believe, stand out firmly for justice". Sura An-Nissa, verse 135