Black Lives Matter in Steelton Too
Published in Penn Live
Many people around the world are grappling with the fact that Black people could lose their lives, and no one would care. This really is ironic given the fact, Black, Brown, and poor people have been legally murdered and executed globally for centuries. Right now, people are experiencing past trauma stoked by the presence of police and the evils of this world. Many are investigating and analyzing the history in which they come, even me.
I was raised in Steelton Pennsylvania, and would spend many summers and holidays in Trenton, N.J. It was in Steelton; I developed relationships, formed character, learned life lessons, and witnessed the complexity of Blackness. Steelton is a steel town connected to the Southside of Harrisburg where many African American migrants chose to live. Steelton is full of pride, love, and support. Steelton is also known as “Title” town because of the endless championship trophies that line the halls of the local high school.
Etched in the psyches of many residents are the endless championships and stories involving the police. In fact, their stories may be similar to many of the stories we hear around the country. Many people watched George Floyd take his last breath and the killers of Breonna Taylor roam the streets of Louisville. Police departments are trying to find ways to control those who are sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Just this month, many Steelton police officers took a knee in front of the Borough of Steelton Frederick Douglass Municipal Building. This is similar to Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee against police brutality and racial injustice. Many may consider what the Steelton police exhibited to be an oxymoron.
In 2003, the mother of my best friend gave her permission to play outside only a few doors down from their home. At the age of 13, she was arrested and detained under the guise of loitering. Now that I think about it, I have always wondered about the loitering sign I could see from my living room window.
Loitering laws have been designed and enforced to keep unpopular, unwanted, and marginalized people out of public space; Loitering is then applicable when the presence and purpose of individuals are policed by someone else. In the words of Angela Davis, this process turns the men, women, and children who live in communities into perfect candidates for prison.
I remember hearing police officers yell, “Get off the sidewalk go in the house,” more times than I can count. These actions and language fall in line with the primary policing institutions, which were slave patrols tasked with chasing down runaways and preventing slave revolts. I remember my friends from Harrisburg avoid riding through Steelton to steer clear from unnecessary questioning. I remember mothers having to choose to pay numerous street cleaning tickets or get food for their families. I remember my dad addressed as “boy” by those hired to serve and protect.
This truth may hurt many who have lived in Steelton their whole lives and refuse to step away from pride and open their eyes. When a teacher at the local high school called Black girl athletes out of their names, I should have said something then.
However, that is how racism and systems of destruction work. These systems grow in power when nobody says anything.
The whole world is having dialogue around systemic racism and Steelton is far too quiet for me. I am someone who cares immensely about the communities I enter, always holding on to the words of Katie Cannon. She reminds us to always investigate the beliefs, behaviors, and assumptions unspoken and unwritten, but dictate institutional culture. Invisible lines of racism have been dormant in Steelton for far too long, and complacency has kept many in line.
One may think this critique casts a shadow over the hard work and determination many I personally know who give back to the community. I am simply analyzing systems that have killed many people for far too long.
Steelton is definitely a little town with a big heart, but how big of a heart. Will the heart of Steelton guarantee new development projects secure jobs for those who really need it? Will the heart of Steelton be sure there is a space for children to go and breathe? Will the heart of Steelton apologize to the families who were followed, embarrassed and treated less than human?
Steelton has changed in many ways since I’ve lived there, and I am sure will continue to change before I return, but ignoring the past has gotten us to where we are today, and this is no longer an option.
As we engage in what a new world can be, let us not never forget Black Lives in Steelton matter too.
https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2020/06/black-lives-matter-in-steelton-too-opinion.html
