Its impossible to turn a blind eye to murder

by Jasmine Hain, Youth Poverty Scholar/PNN

"I am my father's daughter", said Georgia Congressperson Cynthia McKinney to a standing room only crowd on a warm Sunday in August. She was at the theatre below POOR Magazine's offices in the Redstone building to speak as part of a benefit tour organized by POCC Block report radio in support of the Bay View Newspaper. She spoke on a wide range of topics from Hurricane Katrina, the murder of Oscar Grant and her struggles with the Israeli government in support of Palestine to her early life as the daughter of a another Georgia politician who spoke the truth, her father, and how he inspired her to begin her political journey.

There were many parts of her speech that evoked strong feelings of agreement and understanding in me.

When the interviewer Marcel Diallo, from Black New World asked her what or who had inspired her to venture into the world of Public Policy and Social Justice through Politics, she said that her father, ex-Georgia House member, was her driving force. When she mentioned this I couldn't help but make the connection between my mother and I. I have fought along side my mother in the political field around Welfare reform and social justice for welfare families and children. She mentioned that her many attempts to reach out to white farmers communities in Georgia were difficult if not impossible to get through due to racial tension, Cynthia McKinney being of African decent. This reminded me of when my mother and I spoke in legislative meetings in the state capitol where republican legislatures would try to avoid our topic or try to control how many representatives spoke on welfare policy from the non-profit organizations that came to speak. It reminded me of the struggles of trying to get through to another party of people who are on the other side of the spectrum and how at times both my mother and I felt very outnumbered. Later in her speech as I was thinking this, she said, "Politics changing Public Policy changes those statistics," By this point in the speech she had fully captured my attention.

She also spoke on the struggles she had faced in Gaza and the controversy and opposition she has faced with the Israeli Government. Her thoughts on the bombing ordered by George Herbert Walker Bush in Gaza are "For me this was just another example of the U.S. bombing another country where the people look like me," She had addressed the fear of conflict the government possesses pertaining to the Israeli Government and how ultimately this fear is costing peoples' lives. She stated, "Many congressmen live by fear. They are afraid of the pro Israel lobby and wait for the people to counteract them," She was able to speak from the perspective of a person who was formerly incarcerated in Gaza due to the Israeli influence and negative impact in Gaza. Her opinion on the government's neglect to change was it's impossible to turn a blind eye to murder and genocide that we are paying for and the Government is responsible for. She had, in my opinion, addressed a problem that isn't just international, but local. This is one of the main problems with public policy we deal with nationally, as well as internationally. People in office are afraid of change and conflict and sacrifice the well-being of the people in order to preserve this peace among the higher-ups.

This idea also played into the section of her interview that touched on the subject of Hurricane Katrina. She was asked what she thinks the people should do to address the neglect in New Orleans. Her response was to let the people tell their stories and struggles from their own mouths and to expose the hardship for what it really is. She said we can tell the story of what happened and we can recommend policy. This idea comes from the so-called radical idea that the people that are directly affected by public policy should be the ones creating that policy, for who would be a better representative in this case, then the victims of the hurricane. I thought that she had put a very new and revolutionary idea across to people, especially people in the political field.

Cynthia McKinney was asked about her opinion on the Murder of Oscar Grant and what her feelings were on how it was being handled by the youth, who are the primary leaders of the movement against police brutality. She said, "I can't thank the youth enough for bringing to life the murder of Oscar Grant." She spoke about how important it is for youth to rise up and take a stand up and create social change.

The most effective way to change policy is to become an elected official and create policy. When Cynthia McKinney made this comment, I felt it hit very close to home. As a youth activist, I find that it is integral for youth to create positions within the government and within the community that can create change. We need to bring back the roots of our communities as youth and create more grass roots originated policy and change. "We have to find a point of commonality", Cynthia said when the topic of non-native organizations out numbering native-run organizations in Oakland and throughout the Bay Area is addressed. I feel that the youth movement and the efforts to generate more of a community effort can be combined. Cynthia's words on her struggle with creating political change with her father, and her opinions on what is wrong with policy change today and how the youth can change those problems struck me profoundly and I hope that she continues being a revolutionary thinker in the political field.