This is Sgt. Isaac Woodward, in 1946 he was just 26 years old. A decorated war veteran, he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army. He was traveling home on the bus, back to the very place I had my own run in with the police, South Carolina.
Sgt. Isaac Woodward was wearing his uniform. He was a decorated war vet who fought for this country! Yes, I repeated myself because I want you to get the point!
There was a dispute with the bus driver over a restroom break because buses didn’t have bathrooms on them. The bus driver calls the police. Police show up, forcibly remove Sgt. Woodward, and hewas beaten so severely that he lost his sight. Evidence suggests his eyes were gouged out.
NO arrests. NO charges. The crime went unpunished. Sound familiar? Much like the things that are occuring in the U.S. today!
Did you know that over 1 million Black soldiers who fought in the WWII were DENIED the G.I. Bill? And those who did, were UNABLE to make use of the housing provisions, BECAUSE banks wouldn’t make loans for mortgages in black neighborhoods (Know your history. Know your Privilege) and EXCLUDED from the suburbs because of deed covenants and institutional racism.
This is the history they will never teach in schools about this nation. This is why generational wealth doesn’t exist in the Black community.
In short, the GI Bill helped foster a long-term boom in white wealth but did almost nothing to help build black wealth! This is one of the examples of INSTITUTIONAL RACISM, and how it works, and how it STILL works today.
This is why these marches and protests aren’t about the ACT of what bad policing, aggressive, and extreme tactics used towards people of color do, but the systemic inequalities and policies that black people have been addressing for DECADES!
This isn’t just Black History; this is WHITE AMERICAN HISTORY.
AFMS: Lets Talk About Everything, Sista to Sista 