Freedom from Fear
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Ajike "AJ" Owens is dead. She was killed. She knocked on her neighbor's door and was shot. On June 2, 2023, Ajike "AJ" Owens, a Black mother of four, was shot and killed by her neighbor in Ocala, Florida. AJ went to the neighbor's house after the neighbor allegedly threw skates and racial slurs at her children. She was shot through the door of her neighbor's house in front of her nine and twelve-year-old boys. The neighbor said she felt threatened therefore, she shot AJ through her unopened door in self-defense. AJ's only weapon was her skin.
This sounds familiar because just a few weeks ago, Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old high school junior in Kansas City, Missouri, was shot by a white homeowner after he went to the wrong house to pick up his brothers. He was shot through the door. Praise God, Ralph survived, but nineteen-year-old Renisha McBride, of Detroit, did not. She was also killed on the porch of a white man after she knocked on his door in 2013. She went to the house to get help after an accident and was shot. So, this shit isn't new, and now I wonder who is next? Is it me? Is it you? Our spouses? Our children?
Recently I attended an allday conference, and one of the speakers mentioned a speech by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR), now known as the "Four Freedoms Speech. "The speech was delivered on January 6, 1941, during his State of the Union address and, ironically, the exact date of the Insurrection on the Capitol in 2021. In this speech, FDR outlined four essential freedoms that he believed should be universally protected: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. I think most of us understand the concepts of freedom of speech and worship, so I want to look more closely at the freedom from want and fear in the context of the killing of Ajike "AJ" Owens.
This Speech, according to an article on ShareAmerica.gov titled" What Does it Mean to be Free from Want or Fear?" by Stephen Kaufman, is the backdrop to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The article explains that "freedom from want" is a basic human right because it prevents people from being held back and denied access to their basic needs. It asks the question, are there barriers that prevent people from getting the things they need for survival? Then the article explains that "Freedom from fear means that no one should be in fear of their government, its armed forces, police who act undemocratically, or even their neighbors."
I want to summarize the above paragraph by saying "It is my human right pursue my basic needs and to have freedom from fear of the government, armed forces, police, or even my neighbors. This right should have been extended to Ajike, Ralph, Renisha, and all the names and hashtags over the past few days, months, years, and decades. We could add names like Jordan Neely, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, Emmett Till, and countless others whose lives were discounted and taken by the police, a neighbor or fellow citizen because of the color of their skin.
Freedom from want includes the idea of being able to pursue economic security and have access to basic needs. However, when our skin is seen as a weapon, it often leads to systemic disadvantages and limited opportunities for economic well-being. Racism is a barrier to access to education, employment, and equal treatment, and these actions can block our access to this freedom.
Freedom from fear relates to the idea of living in a society free from aggression, conflict, and violence. I know we all want this regardless of our race, and I acknowledge that right now, we are living during a time when conflict and violence are on the rise. However, the unjust violence that AJ faced gives credence to the fear that some of us have in Black America: we live in fear due to the color of our skin. Racially motivated violence and discrimination lead to an atmosphere of fear and insecurity for marginalized communities. This type of violence undermines our freedom from fear.
In summary, when we examine AJ's story through the lens of freedom from want and fear, we can see how her human rights were violated. The color of her skin became an obstacle to her ability to provide basic needs, safety, and security for her children. Her skin made her a target. Additionally, the unjust violence that AJ faced is a symbol, a graphic and harsh reminder of our reality: The skin we wear might be the cross we bear.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/Justice-for-Ajike-Owens – #ajikeowens #JusticeForAjike
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