An Open Letter to Jena, LA

Dear Jena, La.,

As a citizen of the United States of America, I have been very disappointed by the recent events that have taken place in Jena. As a 25 year old woman, I have never witnessed such deliberate, disrespectful and derogatory acts of injustice.

What I found most disgusting about the entire situation is that legal professionals elected to defend the citizens of Jena, La., are using the very laws that were designed to protect citizens in a sadistic effort to unfairly prosecute them and take away their promising futures.

I’ve read reports of Jena residents asking “outsiders” to stay out of Jena’s business, and I have news: we wish we could stay out of Jena’s business. But based upon the events that have occurred, Jena has proven that it is unable to take care of its own business without some outside encouragement.

And please understand that’s the only reason we are coming to Jena—to encourage individuals to act justly. We do not want this to appear as a rally of blacks against whites, but a rally for justice. And as soon as Jena decides to begin acting justly toward all individuals involved, we promise to step back and leave Jena to take care of its business. However, we will not fear journeying back into Jena’s territory if injustice rears its ugly head again.

As we prepare our PEACEFUL rally for justice, we invite all individuals (blacks, whites, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, etc.) to take a stand for justice. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” and we are refusing to let Jena’s injustices affect the justice of America.

Put yourself in the shoes of the Jena 6. What if these were your sons or daughters? If the legal system was being unreasonable harsh and unarguably unfair in prosecuting your children, wouldn’t you want someone to stand up and speak out? Well, tomorrow that’s what we plan on doing for the Jena 6.

It amazes me that Jena residents and prosecutors thought America would sit by quietly as they unfairly prosecuted these six young men. And you almost got your wish, as major media outlets ignored the issue for awhile and few, if any, outlets are fully reporting ALL of the racially motivated events that occurred before the arrest of the Jena 6 (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuoiZnr4jLY). But America will no longer be quiet. My generation will no longer be a sleeping giant that sits quietly as the powers that be make decisions that affect our lives.

So as America converges upon your town on this historic Thursday, September 20th, please understand that we are coming out of love. First Corinthians 13:6 states, “[Love] does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.” We want right and truth to prevail, and we won’t stop watching Jena until right and truth prevail.

In Love and Peace,

Kia Smith
kiagsmith@aol.com
Atlanta, Ga.

Where were you 6 years ago?

I was on I-20 going to my 9:25 class (as a sophomore I was smart enough not to have a 8am one, LOL). Ryan Cameron came on the radio with this super serious tone in his voice. I immediately knew something was wrong. Ryan was never that serious. "A plane hit the World Trade Center..." My mouth dropped open just as I was pulling off the Ashby St. exit (you're not ole skool if you don't know where Ashby is). "It's a terrorist attack," I immediately thought.



I went to class that day, but I honestly can't remember any of the details. I remember walking out of Cosby and seeing my lil SpelBound sister crying. Her dad worked in the Pentagon, and she couldn't get in contact with him. I wish I could say I said something super comforting or wise, but I don't remember saying anything. I just remember staring blankly. She was the first person I knew personally who was being affected by this tragedy. All of a sudden, it wasn't a terrorist attack. It was an attack on my friends.

After that I went to Morehouse, I further stared in awe. I watched men who I had consider so strong and resilent break down and cry. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to do. Like everyone else I spent the remainder of the day in front of the television in awe, hypnotized by the repeat coverage. The journalist in me wanted to see more. I knew there was so much going on that they were showing, that they weren't saying, I wanted to see and hear that.

Surprisingly, I never felt fear. I had this wierd internal peace. I knew my world was changing for the worse that day, but I never feared it. Maybe I was super strong. Maybe I was super numb. Either way, I learned that day that you never truly know how you will react to a situation until you live it.

God Bless America! We need it!