- L
- A
- S
Civil Rights Expedition
Hi, my name is Robert Manning, Jr. and I live in Harlem, NY, but I am currently in my hometown of Titusville, FL.
Someone on Facebook called me a word warrior recently, and he was not wrong. I am a word warrior and I do not think it is a bad thing. Language is the basis of our society and words are powerful.
But to say the comment did not bother me would be a lie. I have also thought of myself as a person of action. An actor friend of mine, Tim Guinee, is a great example of someone who blends words with action effectively.
I have decided to follow his example. I have decided to follow the example of others who decided to get out of bed one morning and change. I have decided to follow the example of Martin Luther King, Jr., and I need some help.
On June 15th, I am going to get in my car and make four stops. I will have two cameras and camera equipment. I will sleep in my car since, as we all know, it is currently not feasible to ask people to house me. I will document my travel, through video and blogs; and my goal is to talk to people in the communities where Trayvon Martin (Sanford, FL), Ahmaud Arbery (South Georgia), Breonna Taylor (Louisville, KY) and George Floyd (Minneapolis, MN) were killed.
Are there many more stops I could make? Yes. These are the four I am choosing to make on this expedition.
What is my goal? To help organize the current protests in a non-violent, effective way. And to organize new ones. Not just people randomly showing up to protest, but people showing up in mass to let our citizens, elected officials and the judicial system know that this is the last time. The goal is to do all this without looting, burning or violence.
I want a wall. A wall of solidarity where people lock arms and build a protest-wall to show the world we will no longer stand idly by and watch people being murdered in the street and their homes without recourse. The goal would be to have a protest-wall extend around the cities that need to hear our cries. The goal is to have a protest-wall surround Washington, D.C. until the officials who work for us begin doing so. The goal would be to have a protest-wall extend across the United States showing the solidarity for equality.
I want to talk to people in an honest way about injustice, racism, and equality. To implore people that we need to destroy complacency, racism, and bigotry and not our own communities. To show my support for those affected by their deaths, which should include everyone reading this post. I also want to address the politics that prevent our current leaders from stopping these injustices. For example, if laws were in place, with mandatory sentencing for the George Floyd crime, it would not continue to happen.
If you have a problem with these goals, please stop and ask yourself, “If these injustices were happening in my community (to me), would I ignore the problem or fight for change?”
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a year long boycott that made a difference. People walked, carpooled, and made sacrifices that resulted in a change. They made that change because they did it in a smart, effective and non-violent way. They hit racism in the wallet. That was in 1955. We need a difference maker in 2020. I want to hit racism in the wallet. Is that enough? No. The next step is to vote racism out of our leadership. And please don’t think racism is singular to African-Americans. We all know that most racists tend to be misogynists. Many racists tend to be white nationalists. Many racists tend to be all the things that make our society weak and ineffective. Getting rid of one weak link of society is eliminating all the weak links. We have to change the way people think.
Right now, many cities are not protesting in an organized, effective way. Talking about it on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is not going to, in my opinion, create change. Why? Because people don’t have to look you in your face and say what they think. They have the security of a screen. But Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are tools we can use to organize in each city, and we plan to use these platforms to our advantage.
What will your money be used for? Food, flowers, cardboard, markers, and a place to take a shower. An occasional hotel? Bail? Let us hope and pray not, but we will probably need it. The non-violent civil rights leaders of the 50’s and 60’s needed it.
This decision will not sit well with my family. They will be worried about me. I assure my family and those of you reading this post that I will do nothing to put my life in danger. But, we all know that when I walk outside my door I am in danger. We are in danger. This is something I have lived with all my life, and I have made it this far. We should no longer live in fear.
I can no longer sit and watch people being killed without recourse. The image of Trayvon Martin lying dead on the ground still haunts me. The fact that his killer freely walks the ground infuriates me. The men who shot Amadu Diallo walk freely without recourse. Every step those free men take is a step on the dead bodies of Martin and Diallo.
None of this is new, but for me, it is getting old and it is time for me stand up and say, “No more.”
And if anyone wants to get in their car and join me, you are more than welcome. “We” is stronger than “I”. One thing I will not be a party to is violence. I want to very clear about this and I will not be a party to it. And yes, I understand that violence is being perpetrated toward people that look like me without recourse, but I will not in-turn be violent in any way.
Since I began writing this, I already have multiple people willing to join me. Good people that have similar sensibilities and goals. If you agree with me, join me.
Why are politics involved in this civil rights expedition? Let this recent quote from our sitting President be the reason why:
"These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won't let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!”
“…I was inside, watched every move, and couldn't have felt more safe. They let the "protesters" scream & rant as much as they wanted, but whenever someone got too frisky or out of line, they would quickly come down on them, hard - didn't know what hit them. The front line was replaced with fresh agents, like magic. Big crowd, professionally organized, but nobody came close to breaching the fence. If they had they would have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen. That's when people would have been really badly hurt, at least. Many Secret Service agents just waiting for action…”
Whatever your political affiliation, this should disturb you.
I plan on honoring the memory of George Floyd, and everyone else, without force, fear, or violence.
Wish me well, and your support will be greatly appreciated. And remember that support does not have to be monetary. Spreading the word and helping to organize our trip is support. We need logistical help in every city.
If anyone wants to help us with logistics, please let me know.
When we return from this trip, I say we because you will all be with me, I want us all to go to Washington, D.C. in-mass before election day.
“We” is stronger than “I”.
We are stronger than Me.
Hi, my name is Robert Manning, Jr. and I live in Harlem, NY, but I am currently in my hometown of Titusville, FL.
Someone on Facebook called me a word warrior recently, and he was not wrong. I am a word warrior and I do not think it is a bad thing. Language is the basis of our society and words are powerful.
But to say the comment did not bother me would be a lie. I have also thought of myself as a person of action. An actor friend of mine, Tim Guinee, is a great example of someone who blends words with action effectively.
I have decided to follow his example. I have decided to follow the example of others who decided to get out of bed one morning and change. I have decided to follow the example of Martin Luther King, Jr., and I need some help.
On June 15th, I am going to get in my car and make four stops. I will have two cameras and camera equipment. I will sleep in my car since, as we all know, it is currently not feasible to ask people to house me. I will document my travel, through video and blogs; and my goal is to talk to people in the communities where Trayvon Martin (Sanford, FL), Ahmaud Arbery (South Georgia), Breonna Taylor (Louisville, KY) and George Floyd (Minneapolis, MN) were killed.
Are there many more stops I could make? Yes. These are the four I am choosing to make on this expedition.
What is my goal? To help organize the current protests in a non-violent, effective way. And to organize new ones. Not just people randomly showing up to protest, but people showing up in mass to let our citizens, elected officials and the judicial system know that this is the last time. The goal is to do all this without looting, burning or violence.
I want a wall. A wall of solidarity where people lock arms and build a protest-wall to show the world we will no longer stand idly by and watch people being murdered in the street and their homes without recourse. The goal would be to have a protest-wall extend around the cities that need to hear our cries. The goal is to have a protest-wall surround Washington, D.C. until the officials who work for us begin doing so. The goal would be to have a protest-wall extend across the United States showing the solidarity for equality.
I want to talk to people in an honest way about injustice, racism, and equality. To implore people that we need to destroy complacency, racism, and bigotry and not our own communities. To show my support for those affected by their deaths, which should include everyone reading this post. I also want to address the politics that prevent our current leaders from stopping these injustices. For example, if laws were in place, with mandatory sentencing for the George Floyd crime, it would not continue to happen.
If you have a problem with these goals, please stop and ask yourself, “If these injustices were happening in my community (to me), would I ignore the problem or fight for change?”
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a year long boycott that made a difference. People walked, carpooled, and made sacrifices that resulted in a change. They made that change because they did it in a smart, effective and non-violent way. They hit racism in the wallet. That was in 1955. We need a difference maker in 2020. I want to hit racism in the wallet. Is that enough? No. The next step is to vote racism out of our leadership. And please don’t think racism is singular to African-Americans. We all know that most racists tend to be misogynists. Many racists tend to be white nationalists. Many racists tend to be all the things that make our society weak and ineffective. Getting rid of one weak link of society is eliminating all the weak links. We have to change the way people think.
Right now, many cities are not protesting in an organized, effective way. Talking about it on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is not going to, in my opinion, create change. Why? Because people don’t have to look you in your face and say what they think. They have the security of a screen. But Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are tools we can use to organize in each city, and we plan to use these platforms to our advantage.
What will your money be used for? Food, flowers, cardboard, markers, and a place to take a shower. An occasional hotel? Bail? Let us hope and pray not, but we will probably need it. The non-violent civil rights leaders of the 50’s and 60’s needed it.
This decision will not sit well with my family. They will be worried about me. I assure my family and those of you reading this post that I will do nothing to put my life in danger. But, we all know that when I walk outside my door I am in danger. We are in danger. This is something I have lived with all my life, and I have made it this far. We should no longer live in fear.
I can no longer sit and watch people being killed without recourse. The image of Trayvon Martin lying dead on the ground still haunts me. The fact that his killer freely walks the ground infuriates me. The men who shot Amadu Diallo walk freely without recourse. Every step those free men take is a step on the dead bodies of Martin and Diallo.
None of this is new, but for me, it is getting old and it is time for me stand up and say, “No more.”
And if anyone wants to get in their car and join me, you are more than welcome. “We” is stronger than “I”. One thing I will not be a party to is violence. I want to very clear about this and I will not be a party to it. And yes, I understand that violence is being perpetrated toward people that look like me without recourse, but I will not in-turn be violent in any way.
Since I began writing this, I already have multiple people willing to join me. Good people that have similar sensibilities and goals. If you agree with me, join me.
Why are politics involved in this civil rights expedition? Let this recent quote from our sitting President be the reason why:
"These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won't let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!”
“…I was inside, watched every move, and couldn't have felt more safe. They let the "protesters" scream & rant as much as they wanted, but whenever someone got too frisky or out of line, they would quickly come down on them, hard - didn't know what hit them. The front line was replaced with fresh agents, like magic. Big crowd, professionally organized, but nobody came close to breaching the fence. If they had they would have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen. That's when people would have been really badly hurt, at least. Many Secret Service agents just waiting for action…”
Whatever your political affiliation, this should disturb you.
I plan on honoring the memory of George Floyd, and everyone else, without force, fear, or violence.
Wish me well, and your support will be greatly appreciated. And remember that support does not have to be monetary. Spreading the word and helping to organize our trip is support. We need logistical help in every city.
If anyone wants to help us with logistics, please let me know.
When we return from this trip, I say we because you will all be with me, I want us all to go to Washington, D.C. in-mass before election day.
“We” is stronger than “I”.
We are stronger than Me.