It felt so good to be American and a sports fan this weekend. The complaints continue about how not standing for the flag is disrespectful. People forget that the flag was never meant to be enjoyed or appreciated by the Black man in America. Like the Constitution, its promises were not meant for Blacks.

I remember my brother sharing some of his experiences with me when he returned to America from an overseas tour. My two brothers, brothers in law, uncle, nephew, ex, and several boyfriends served in the military. My brother and nephew retired from the military. My uncle tells how when he returned from Korea, he could not vote, eat in restuarants, rent a motel or sleep in hotels, drink at water fountains. They were white and Black fountains. The schools were segregated. He was not fighting for his own freedom. Blacks were being asked to die and did die for freedom for others. He could not work wherever he wanted. My brother who retired from the military, told me that when he first did an overseas tour and returned home, he decided to drive home. There were towns in the south where he would be shot at and called the n-word. He could not use the bathroom or buy gas in some towns. He was wearing a uniform. The uniform meant nothing because he was Black. Whites would routinely go on nig..r shoots on the weekend. If they killed someone, they were never arrested and suffered any consequence. Cindy’s mom tells how a Black boy bumped a white girl one day on the street accidentally and he was hanged on the spot. There was no trial. He was simply hung up in the middle of the town.

People who are angry about Kaep’s taking a knee, should ask themselves why his action makes them angry. Why standing for the flag made them equally angry. My white friends tell me that “these guys are making lots of money and are saying that America sucks.”

America is the greatest country on earth. It is not perfect. It has a history of racial injustice. As a child I memorized the Declaration of Independence. I studied the constitution. My white teachers taught that John Brown was crazy for wanting to end slavery. Black people should have been happy to be taken care of by their masters. The tales of the beatings and slaves being raped and boiled in tubs until their flesh fell off their bones did not bother them. Slaves were not considered human. Blacks were not allowed to read and write or own property. If it was learned that they could read and write, their tongues would be cut out and their hands cut off. Anyone who thinks things have changed a lot should read my book currently being sold on Amazon, I Am Not Beneath the Law. I was shocked at the corruption and absolute disregard for the law that I experienced in Texas. I have never experienced that kind of racial hatred and I never want anyone else to have those kind of experiences. The judicial corruption was deep and included the Attorney General, prosecutors, the courts including the United States Supreme Court. I had to seek prayer to cope with that hatred. I did not want it to touch my spirit. I had to have a burning bowl experience and forgive everyone lest it block my blessings and touch my soul or interfere with my connection to my God. I try to live by and keep God’s commandment: Love one another as I have loved you. I try to be my brother’s keeper. I believe that love is the answer. If we can teach hate, we can also teach love. I will not give up on those principles. I used to tell my clients: God loves you, you are too precious to lose. We are all Americans; we are too precious to lose. We must learn to live together and love one another. Love is the answer. I am terribly troubled by the hate speeches. I will never accept hate as the answer. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can.

Dispite all my good feelings, I have to accept that prosecutors and a Secret Service agent kept repeating over and over that I had lived a criminal life for a decade because I had dared to come to Texas and try to practice law. Being a Black lawyer in this small town in America was my crime. Being Black in America was enough to make me a criminal. The prosecutor told someone: “She has been a criminal all her life, she just has not been caught. She is Black is she not.” To him all Blacks are criminals. Do you think Blacks get justice in this town? The flag and constitution do not apply when Blacks are involved. THIS MUST CHANGE. CHANGE MUST OCCUR IN AMERICA SO ALL PEOPLE CAN RECEIVE EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER THE LAW.