While it may be inconvenient for people attending a rally when they are forced to hear about causes that matter to African Americans instead of hearing from their favorite political candidate, several prominent members of the
Congressional Black Caucus strongly disagreed. Speaking to
The Hill:
“They really are speaking to the issues, and we're really long overdue responding to those issues,” Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) said in a phone interview. “They've been pointed, nonviolent and strong, and I'm not offended.
“They're asking for nothing more than to lift up a system to treat them with justice.”
Rep. Hank Johnson, who has been outspoken on police brutality in America, also expressed his bold support for the practice:
“For Black Lives Matter activists, the issue is literally a matter of life and death as evidenced by the continued killing of unarmed Black men and women by police officers across the nation,” Johnson said in an email. “When presidential candidates fail to acknowledge how the current criminal system detrimentally impacts Black lives, they [the activists] resort to disruptive tactics to force attention to the issue.
“While disruption is uncomfortable, it does result in candidates acknowledging and addressing the issue with policy proposals,” he added. “When that happens, the need to protest is abated.”
Personally, I concur with Rep. Johnson.
Black folk aren't interrupting speeches because it's cool. It's not cool. It's damn uncomfortable for everybody, but what's worse is the reality that police brutality and racial injustice in this nation are on the rise and little effort to combat it is being seen on the national level.
If this is what it takes to force the issues into the forefront, so be it.