The Idea of an Essay, Volume 4

Narrative & Memoir 59 to think that mourning for loved ones’ lives could be commonplace especially since I’ve never had to live in that state. The thought that young black American men and women aren’t surprised when they hear the news reports of killings appalls me. I’m overwhelmed thinking about the constant anxiety that some African Americans face just leaving their homes or watching their children walk to school. My parents have natural fears when my siblings and I aren’t with them, but they aren’t obsessed about our interactions with officers while we’re out of the house. Therefore, I benefitted from reading Rankine’s article because I better understood and appreciated the “Black Lives Matter” movement, an organization dedicated to continuing the mourning process in America. I sometimes ignore movements that arise after shootings because they’re sometimes led with reckless and bitter motivation. However, this movement is anything but bitter and has an admirable goal in mind. Rankin writes, “The Black Lives Matter movement can be read as an attempt to keep mourning an open dynamic in our culture…” I can’t count how many times and how easily I’ve dismissed the turmoil shown in the news simply by changing channels. I put my personal desire to be comfortable under the guise of being optimistic. If I feel overburdened with bad news, there’s little motivation to keep watching. I believe that too often people choose to close off mourning because it’s such an exhausting process. Denial—a state that many Americans are in concerning racial tensions—also smothers the effects of mourning. Black Lives Matter believes in the value of mourning. Rankine further gives understanding about the Black Lives Matter movement when she tells the story of Emmitt Till, a murdered African American killed in 1955, and his mother, Mamie Till Mobley. Emmitt Till’s body was beaten beyond recognition as the result of racist motivation. Mobley made the decision to have an open casket funeral for her son. She said she wanted to “let the people see what I see.” She, like those in the Black Lives Matter movement, valued mourning and wanted others to mourn with her. Rankine says, “Mobley’s refusal to keep grief private allowed a body that meant nothing to the criminal- justice systemto stand as evidence.”Mobley’s courage overwhelmedme. She didn’t just see the injustice done to her son, but also an opportunity to bring a racist justice system into light. I think it’s a great pity to see a mother’s source ofmourning turned into a national piece of evidence.