stanford daily

3 GREAT STORIES: Starring Ferguson, Ferguson, & Ferguson

Every week, I shine the spotlight on some of the best storytelling in the business and offer my comments. “3 Great Stories of the Week” will post every Monday at 8 AM.

Black death in the era of Ferguson (11/24/14, Ebony): I approached the aftermath of the Ferguson verdict wanting to listen, not talk.

I wanted to listen to perspectives that were not my own, backgrounds that I had not experienced.

This week, I offer three great first-person reflections following the verdict, starting with Jamilah Lemieux of Ebony Magazine:

If this isn’t our collective “Black wake-up call,” then it will never come. The whole damn system is guilty as hell, and if we fail to challenge it, then we are too. There is not one more moment for complacency; our silence is consent. The people of St. Louis are roaring; will the rest of us join in? When the only thing standing between imminent death and us is the fear, nervousness and ineptitude of the police, will we continue to act as if we can pray, earn or achieve our way out of struggle?

(more…)