Thread by @SRMandeles

Thread:
I've been really struggling w #BlackLivesMatter

1. I support the *statement* SO deeply, bc I know that for centuries in 🇺🇸, the idea that Black lives *don't* matter has been institutionalized, enshrined in law. I'll affirm that Black Lives DO Matter till pigs fly.

2. I struggle w/ the anti-Zionism & anti-Semitism expressed by many of the @Blklivesmatter @Mvmnt4BlkLives leaders, & their refusal to 'cancel' Jew-haters like Farrakhan, & ppl who defend him/ make excuses for his Jew-hate.

3. I struggle w/ the anti-Semitic vandalism & assaults that have plagued some #BLMprotests & riots. I wish more #BLM leaders & leaders in Black communities (AHEM @NAACP) would condemn the Jew-hate that somehow finds a receptive home w/i strains of otherwise justified Black rage.

4. BUT, I also recognize that many Black folk live in fear. Fear that any interaction they have w law enforcement could end in their deaths or unjustified incarceration. It must be a terrifying way to live. Trauma affects our thought processes.

5. Ppl like Farrakhan (& @AMPalestine, obvi) aim to drive wedges b/w Blacks & Jews by capitalizing on/ exploiting that fear. The best way I know to fight them is to *refuse* to hate my Black brothers & sisters. To proclaim that #BlackLivesMatter does NOT mean I ignore Jew-hate.

6. It's crucial to distinguish b/w ppl who're peacefully protesting institutional anti-Blackness; police killings; de facto segregation; a still VERY present legacy of Black enslavement in the US; from ppl who hijack protests to riot/loot/satisfy a craving for chaos/ drama.

I do believe that the former type of ppl outnumber the latter by quite a lot. (This is anecdotal. I have not seen any data presenting or comparing those numbers.)

Also: Some in #BLM feel Black folks are in crisis, their house is burning, they need all hands on deck. They feel like they can't afford to turn anyone away, especially charismatic Black leaders who've helped mobilized the movement--even if those leaders are anti-Semites.

My challenge is to unequivocally condemn anti-Semitism in any form, from anyone; while holding empathy for ongoing struggles & current crisis in Black American lives.

If my neighbor's house was on fire, I think I'd help him put out the flames--*even* if he were an anti-Semite.