According to reports the fight took place over a dice game. Now, this is hardly the first time a dice game has occurred on a college campus, any college campus. But rarely, if ever, has a death occurred over a dice game on a college campus. We cannot accept this as the norm. This should not be the cost of living in the African-American community,
While reports don’t specify the race of the victims, or the shooter _ (included is a link to the Tenneseean article posted below) _ I can practically guarantee you all parties were black. It is an absolute tragedy for the family of the victim. It also taints the reputation of the TSU, one of America’s great institutions of higher learning, in every way. It hurts their recruiting for future students, student-athletes, and corporate partners.
It is on us, as members of the African-American community, to stop the violence within our community. We need to react to these tragedies with the same fervor we do when a white police officer guns down an unarmed black man. Black lives should matter when we are killing our on people, too.
Let’s face it. We are dealing with a generation of young African-American men what believe the slightest conflict can be dealt with a gun, which are far too accessible in society. There is a sick bravado that exists among some young African-Americans _ emboldened by the violence in the music they hear, and the violence they see in society _ that makes the ultimate act of taking a life seem to be a good decision.
If we don’t start addressing the violence that occurs by our own people in our own communities, how is anyone going to take us seriously about the violence others commit against us?
