The saga of the Jena Six has taken many twists and turns since the nooses were seen on the “white tree” at Jena High School on Aug. 31, 2006. Although many people didn’t know that this actually happened, we, as Blacks, have rallied to the defense of these young men. Somehow, we might have shown up too late. As Blacks, we tend to be concerned only if something directly affects us, someone we look up to or despise, or if our so-called leaders tell us to be concerned. If these young men were celebrities, the media would have reported these events months before they actually did.
We, the Editorial Board of The Gramblinite, believe that not only did the general public ignore the situation in Jena, but more importantly, the Black community only responded when media outlets like CNN exposed this travesty of justice. If we take this long to stand up for our own people, what can we expect those of other ethnicities to do?
The Black community cannot stand by for as long as we did with the Jena Six. If we continue to dwell in a state of apathy, the world we live in will pass us by, and we as a people will digress to a point where the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s will be completely nullified.
As a community, Blacks have constantly fought an uphill battle. The only way we can have any chance of winning the battle is to stand together. The tragedy of the Jena Six will happen again if we continue to show the complacency that we did at the beginning of this situation.