The biggest threat to Black Lives isn't what you think | Hawk Newsome | TEDxFultonStreet
Noor Newsome argues that simply wanting to end racism is insufficient; structural change requires active, visible participation, as the organized hatred of corporations and systemic injustice overwhelms the passive compassion of the loving. He powerfully illustrates this by recounting the 26-mile march in Baltimore after Freddie Gray's death and pointing to the pervasive, often invisible threat of "food injustice" perpetuated by beverage companies. The call to action is to move beyond mere tears and votes to demand systemic change for equal rights.
## Speakers & Context
- Noor Newsome — President of Black Lives Matter, New York.
- Speaker's role: Human rights activist and speaker challenging the audience's inaction on systemic racism.
## Theses & Positions
- Saying "no" to ending racism can be done by outright refusal, shaking one's head, or through inactivity.
- The current struggle shows organized hatred (from corporations and systems) out-mobilizing individuals who possess love.
- Mere tears and prayers are insufficient; active, tangible action is required to achieve justice.
- Food injustice is a severe form of systematic oppression where corporations target poor communities with poisoned diets, which takes more Black lives than any other black person.
- Change will only come when the majority of people care enough to act.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Food injustice:** The practice where food and beverage companies spend 10 billion dollars a year targeting poor communities to encourage the consumption of poisons.
- **Systematic oppression:** A force that attacks from every angle, exemplified by the fact that major activists receive money from companies like Coca Cola and Pepsi, which profit from the status quo.
- **"Black on black crime":** A term the speaker rejects, suggesting alternatives like "violence in the community."
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Demonstration of Inaction:** The gap between "good people with love in their hearts" stating they want to help ending racism and their subsequent lack of physical follow-through or support.
- **Physical Mobilization:** Marching over 26 miles a day, starting in New York and going to Washington D.C.
- **Systemic Exploitation:** Corporations use funding donations (e.g., from Coca Cola, Pepsi) to legitimize operations despite contributing to systemic oppression.
## Timeline & Sequence
- **Past centuries:** Period of oppression for Black people in America.
- **Three years ago:** March from New York to Washington D.C.
- **Day of the march (Baltimore):** Hearing of Freddie Gray dying in police custody, despite the Mayor promising it would never happen.
- **Historical comparison:** The current moment is compared to times of slavery and the Holocaust, suggesting a parallel responsibility to act.
## Named Entities
- **Black Lives Matter** — Organization represented by the speaker.
- **Freddie Gray** — Individual who died in police custody, prompting the mobilization in Baltimore.
- **Black Lives Matter marchers:** Included Black people, Jewish people, white people, and Muslims who marched together.
- **Coca Cola, Pepsi** — Companies cited for donating funds that support activists while contributing to systemic issues.
- **NAACP** — Organization cited as receiving funding from the corporations mentioned.
## Numbers & Data
- Approximate number of marchers: **about a hundred**.
- Distance marched: **26 miles a day** over the duration of the march.
- Spending on targeting poor communities: **10 billion dollars a year** (by food/beverage companies).
- Magnitude of oppression timeline: **Five centuries of death without any justice**.
## Examples & Cases
- **The Baltimore March:** Marching for justice after hearing of Freddie Gray's death in police custody, leading to a confrontation at the precinct.
- **The Confrontation at the Precinct:** The officer who killed the brother laughed in the face of the aggrieved family.
- **Food Desert Reality:** Growing up in the South Bronx, which was a food desert, and observing a father dying from a heart attack linked to diet.
- **Systemic Food Manipulation:** The practice of sending food to poor communities with ingredients modified *just for those communities*.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- **Misdirection:** The false narrative suggesting that "blacks are killing other blacks," which the speaker contrasts with the genuine threat of "food injustice."
- **Complacency:** The implied argument that visible expressions of care (tears, prayers) are inadequate substitutes for organized, physical action.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- Action must be proactive: "Don't just tell people to vote. Tell them that they need to vote for... what? Vote to end police brutality. Vote for equal rights."
- Must advocate for change regarding food security and corporate influence over public health.
- The message is a final appeal to action: "Are you going to be the generation to say enough is enough?"
## Implications & Consequences
- Failure to act will result in continued systemic violence, exemplified by the historical pattern of injustice ("hanging from trees").
- The primary, often unseen, source of death among the community is not internal conflict but environmental and corporate poisonation ("food injustice").
## Verbatim Moments
- *"I'm the president of Black Lives Matter, New York. And apparently, I'm a human rights activist."*
- *"What we're experiencing here in America is people who have hatred in their hearts are out-mobilizing and out-organizing the individuals who have love in their hearts."*
- *"Off the sidewalks and into the streets."*
- *"I don't believe in coincidence. I believe in God-incidence."*
- *"This is what we're facing. This is our reality. This has been our reality since we were lynched and hanging from trees."*
- *"You have to get active."*
- *"But let me tell you what takes more black lives than any other black person, and it's called food injustice."*
- *"I guarantee you, all of them tell you to help your neighbor."*
- *"Are you going to be the generation to say enough is enough?"*