Victim or Victimized?

You reach a fork in the road. You have a decision to make, go left or go right. To the left is more of the same, a stagnant path devoid of growth potential and opportunity. To the right, the path is littered with rocks, glass and a batch of unknowns, yet there is opportunity on the other end. Which do you choose?

I recently watched a podcast in which there was a panel of Black American participants. The panel was comprised of both men and women or varying ages and backgrounds. The topic of discussion was, do Black Americans use the victim card? This is a very loaded question depending upon your perspective. If you are a non-Black individual, your perspective will be based upon your interactions with Black Americans and the Black Americans you have known or interacted with. If you are a Black American, your perspective will be based upon your personal journey and the examples that were set before you. Is this question strictly about being a victim or is it about whether or not victimization has occurred?

Many have used the argument that discrimination is irrelevant because there are Black Americans that are doctors, lawyers, judges and other professional elite. If discrimination and racism existed, this wouldn’t be possible, right? While it is very true that many Black Americans have been able to rise to the occasion by hard work and taking their lumps when necessary, it does not negate that they were victimized in the process. What seems to often be missed in this conversation is that they have succeeded in spite of the victimization. The dismissal or lack of acknowledgement of victimization of Black Americans is a problem and narrative created by those that inflict the methodologies of this victimization or those that are blissfully unaware of the true history of this country. The truth is that the history taught in this country has been sanitized of many of the events and issues of this country that were orchestrated to create and perpetuate disparities and oppression against Black Americans. Although data exists to show evidence of these occurrences, for some it is much easier to pretend that they never happened and do not exist. For those that have been personally afflicted by the effects of these policies and events, there is not a convincing argument that can be had to refute the victimization of Black Americans as historically valid and still present in some aspects today.

For those of us that have been able to beat the odds, one of two scenarios made it possible to do so. One scenario is the breaking of generational curses that clear the path toward success. In this scenario, an example of how to overcome has been set and becomes the blueprint for subsequent generations. It is important to highlight that although in this scenario generational curses may have been broken, it does not mean that the path will be completely devoid of struggle and obstacles. Even in 2020 there are still many systemic obstacles to overcome such as the wage gaps between Black Americans and other races or the disparities in the processes for home and business ownership. These are very real and tangible examples of how Black Americans are still victimized, but can choose to push through these inequities to reach their goal. The second scenario for those of us that have “overcome” is that there has been a conscious choice to have a future that is the antithesis of their current circumstances. This may be their living situation, economic status or family situation. If they have witnessed poverty, violence or lack opportunities there becomes a significant desire for something different and these scenarios become motivators for them to be something other than that which they had experienced. These are the stories we see of those that have come from nothing to be more than what could ever be imagined. They use what they have and perform to the best of their abilities to be the change they want to see. They move beyond their circumstances and remain focused on what their future can be. These obstacles become their stepping stones toward victory and success. After witnessing a parent working multiple jobs, or visiting a parent in jail or their grave, some people will do whatever they can to assure that their children will not have to endure what they may have experienced. In both of the scenarios mentioned, there is a decision that is made to not to remain a victim to the obstacles and intentional oppression put in their path. They are able to outsmart, out maneuver and outrun the victimization strategies intended to prevent success.

The opposite end of the spectrum in terms of the victim card are those that are unable or unwilling to overcome the victimization strategies intended to hinder and destroy. It is a scientific fact that there are mental and physical repercussions that are directly correlated to racism in this country. As with any other physical or mental ailment, some individuals are more vulnerable and susceptible to these conditions than others. If there is no exposure to a better path it is highly likely that the individual will not be able to rise above the victimization. If you are not able to see beyond day to day survival, the hope for a successful future is nil to none. Some people are not able to reconcile that they are not their circumstances and that there are opportunities beyond the current circumstances. Most individuals that cannot push through the victimization have seen enough death and failure that they do not see a future beyond a casket or jail cell. They are manifestations of the theory that states if you are told something often enough, you will soon believe it to be true. So if your experience is that you have been told that you will amount to nothing, you are nothing more than a thug or you are of no value, your life will begin to reflect that to be true. If you do not have the strength or fortitude to live a life that is the opposite of what you are being told, you will remain a victim. You are unable to value things such as a career, education or a life outside of poverty because you do not feel deserving of it. It is important to remember that we are tethered to the effects of slavery whether we have been able to make it beyond it or not. Those that succeed have done so by pushing and stretching themselves so that they distance themselves from the root of racism, but are still attached. Those that remain in a mental hold of slavery have been unable or unwilling to put distance between the root and themselves. The mental strongholds remain for these individuals which was the foundation of slavery, take the mind and the body will follow. Slaves remain slaves because their mind will not allow them to see an alternative or their mind will keep them in a state of perpetual fear to move beyond the struggle.

So when some asks, “Why are Blacks playing the victim card?”, it is our duty to seek to clarify the ask. Are you asking if Blacks are victims or are you asking if Blacks have been victimized? The successes seen in the Black community are not the result of an easy walk without the effects of oppression, but instead are the results of choosing to move beyond the victimization. Being Black in this country is a chess game. We are all pawns on the chess board of systemic oppression; however if you learn the game and study the moves, you can enact a counter move that will lead to success. For those of us that have mastered the game, we cannot stand in judgement of others that have not. We must remember that the system of oppression was designed to separate and destroy. We have to be advocates for our own and live in the mindset that each one must teach one. Our ancestors were able to do this before Facebook, Instagram or TikToc, it should be much easier for us. If we participate and perpetuate divisiveness within our own communities, to the victor goes the spoils. We must always remember that we are playing a lifelong game of chess and not checkers. This is why strategy and intellect are our only weapons to combat that which seeks to destroy us. The tenacity and strength of our ancestors will keep us in the game. We must always acknowledge the victimization and use it as motivation for different and better, but we must not remain victims and crumble under its weight. It must be the motivation for us to live in our greatness and destiny.