I never want to be so woke that I’m unwilling to celebrate small victories.
A weird thing happens on social media whenever Black people publicly celebrate anything justice-related: Other Black people come around to remind us that America still ain’t shit and we shouldn’t get too happy. I understand it, of course. I get the impulse to be cynical for the sake of being cynical; I just think it’s weird that anyone thinks Black people need to be told not to get complacent—because when have we ever?
Last summer, Black people led the largest wave of protests against systemic racism America has seen in recent years, and we did it after the killers of Walter Scott, Botham Jean and Markeis McGlockton were convicted of crimes and sent to prison. After each of those cases ended in convictions, Black people expressed joy, but literally, none of us decided that we could kick back with a can of tea and a bag of Skittles and just enjoy post-racial America.
