October 2014
This may seem like an odd statement coming from a proud US military veteran who earned a life long skill that has benefitted him greatly.
The first thing you need to understand is, why would I say this?
We as people of color have made as many contributions to the US becoming the powerful nation that it has become, but have paid the ultimate price here and abroad, sometimes more than our white counterparts.
First, one must understand the rich history that people of color have added to the US military.
The first casualty of the so-called Boston Massacre, the catalyst to the Revolutionary War, was Crispus Attucks, a man of African and Native American descent.
When the war began, blacks in the north were promised by the colonists that they would be freed from slavery if they helped fight the British.
In the south, blacks were promised by the British that if they helped fight the colonists they would be freed.
As history would have it the colonists won and for the most part kept their bargain by outlawing slavery in the north.
The famous Dred Scott case involved a slave named Dred Scott whose master moved to the north. Scott asserted that since slavery was not legal in the north he was therefore free.
His “master“ thought otherwise, a civil trial ensued and the final outcome was that since slavery was the law of the land he was still indeed a piece of property.
Free men who fought in the revolutionary war were assumed to have the very same property rights as whites but were not allowed to marry whites.
The fugitive slave act of 1854 changed all of this when congress penned a law that allowed any white man the right to claim any black person as his runaway slave with no recourse, even if it had been documented for generations that he and his family were free. {This of course excluded slaves that were already “property” of another white man.}
Even in the conflict that allegedly ended slavery {and it has not really ended- now it is known as the prison industry}, free blacks who enlisted in the Union Army were not treated as equals to their white counterparts, and many of them did not get the wages they were promised.
Ironically even the Confederacy kept its promise, and awarded a black soldier in the early 20th century, who fought for the Confederacy during the civil war.
Blacks fought in every major war or conflict that the US was involved in, and even during WWII while black soldiers helped liberate Europe from the tyranny of Nazi occupation, blacks themselves were being maimed tortured and murdered by whites while the government turned a blind eye. Indeed the so-called civil rights act was not signed into a bill until nearly 100 years later.
Even with the signing of the civil rights bill, racists have just found slick ways around the law, and even the law itself demands such strictness that even the most ignorant can find a way around it.
Segregation in the military wasn't lifted until the Korean War in the 50's.
In spite of our dedication and trust in change we still continue to be treated like second-class citizens.
Having the first “black” President really hasn't changed much for us at all.
The response in Ferguson should be reason enough, but just remember this: the government is the only entity that can change an agreement anytime they want without any penalty.
The GI bill has changed at least 3 times since WWII.
In answering why we should boycott the military, we first need to ask why do we join?
The number one reason is because military recruiters are very slick and good at what they do.
Secondly, what they offer can be very appealing to people who want to further their education but aren't eligible for scholarships or grants, often because they weren't given the proper tools in high school to get the kinds of grades that qualify. Also the prospect of achieving the so called “American Dream” of home ownership or owning a small business someday can be quite appealing to young people who are disenfranchised.
In order to buy that home you have to have the income to justify it and the credit report. In order to get the small business loan you have to have matching funds and credit report.
The vast majority of HUD homes are VA loans that have been foreclosed.
Often people come back from the military traumatized by events like war. For females, rape is often more of a reality than in the civilian world. All that glitters is not gold, especially when offered by the government!