Inside America's Battle

Back on January 14, 1983, the legendary Richard Pryor stood at a podium at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C, giving a speech about another legend, Martin Luther King Jr. The funny man got a few laughs, but mostly he spoke from the heart.

Pryor would go on to tell the audience that he wouldn't be able to just sit at counters and not retaliate while people hit and spit on him. His reaction, he said, would have been rooted in fear. He knew that deep down, he was scared – too scared to not defend himself. He was too scared to go down to Mississippi and Alabama to march for his rights while having hoses turned on him and dogs released to attack him. Not to mention real threats of lynchings.

So it was that with tears welling up in his eyes and his voice breaking, that Pryor acknowledged if it wasn't for the extraordinary bravery of those people, he would not be there speaking that day – perhaps not even be able to become a legendary comedian.

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All sane Americans, not just brown skinned people, need to admit to themselves that they're scared too.

That hit me hard. As a brown guy in today's USA, I had to acknowledge that I too am scared. I see the people being abducted and the Masked Marauders stalking brown skinned people. I see the families torn apart, the deaths in the "detention centers." But like Pryor, I'm scared.

Scared of the I.C.E. attack dogs, former Proud Boys and Bugaloos. Scared of an orange bozo and his monstrous minions in command of the most powerful nation on Earth. Scared of not seeing my family and leaving them destitute. But most of all, I'm scared that this is only the start and my daughter will have to suffer the consequences of her father being too scared to do anything.

Yes, I am scared, but that's OK. Like they say, admitting it is always the first step. All sane Americans, not just brown skinned people, need to admit to themselves that they're scared too. Scared of what I'm seeing. Scared of the cost of living and children going without. Scared of the runaway inequality. Scared that we can be detained and arrested based on lies or comments. We have to admit to ourselves that the nation has been afraid ever since Sept 11, 2001 and we're still suffering the repercussions.

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I refuse to turn a blind eye anymore, to remain silent and not draw attention. I will not be selfish and afraid anymore and neither should you.

Once we can admit it, we can face it together. I, for one, am starting to finally acknowledge that I need to use the skills I have at my disposal, skills that have been exploited by everyone in this uncaring capitalist system, everyone has benefited off of me, except the ones who need me the most. The ones who could just as easily be one of my own family members or maybe one of your family members, we are all immigrants. I refuse to turn a blind eye anymore, to remain silent and not draw attention. I will not be selfish and afraid anymore and neither should you.

Me writing this piece and you reading it are the first steps on our path to getting over our fear. A way to shine a light on these hateful cockroaches and make them scurry back to the dark, where they belong. Life is too short to be this cruel.

I hope that you now know that you're not alone, you're not the only one who feels alone and hopeless, there is strength in community and that's what it's going to take to push back on these fascist wannabes.