By Alton H. Maddox, Jr.
The Iroquois Confederacy, in part, established the political system in the United States. Its main contributions included "legislative decorum", a "commerce clause" in the U.S. Constitution and the "art of compromise". These political and legal concepts were unknown in England. Kemet was also a major contributor to this country's political system
On March 10th the mothers of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis were in Florida's state capital, Tallahassee, to demand the repeal of the state's "Stand Your Ground" law while Florida's legislators, on the other hand, intend to expand it. The political strategy of Black legislators, in Florida, is unknown Watch out for payoffs.
Unfortunately, these mothers are ignoring "living" history. The paradigm for struggle against Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law can be found in the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 to the detriment of Rosa Parks and for the benefit of Black America. The object was Alabama's segregated law on intrastate travel.
The goal was to bring Alabama down to its financial knees. It is very difficult to "bargain" with a white supremacist while he or she is standing on his or her feet. "Bargaining" by enslaved Africans was impermissible. Whites are still accustomed to bargaining unilaterally, with Blacks. "Plea bargaining" is an illusion.
In order for the mothers of racially-motivated victims, like Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis, to achieve their objectives, they must first establish a "bargaining table". A demand, according to Frederick Douglass, must be placed on the bargaining table. "Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will". The mothers of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis must not be viewed as half-stepping in bringing white supremacists to the bargaining table.
There is an irreconcilable conflict in this First Amendment right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. A buffer has been placed between their demand on American capitalism and the monetary appetite of their representatives. Their chief representatives head the Wall Street Initiative and the Madison Avenue Initiative. Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have already raised the white flag. White supremacists will never finance our liberation.
Speaking of a demand, neither Rev. Jackson nor Rev. Sharpton has made a demand on any of Florida's three branches of government. The first law of a slave is racial accommodationism and racial harmony. Racial justice is foreign to slaves. For a slave, this includes not making a demand on the slave master. Frederick Douglass is out. Sambo is in.