by Jennifer Roberts

A few weeks ago, someone asked me if I knew that officials from Donald Trump’s administration had scrubbed Dorie Miller, a Black Navy hero, from the Pentagon’s website.  I said, “No, I didn’t know that.”  Before this conversation, I had never heard of Dorie Miller but my next thought was, “Slavers gonna’ slave” as I logged onto Mahogany Books website, (www.mahoganybooks.com) to purchase books about Dorie Miller who I later learned helped to carry wounded sailors to safety during the attack on Pearl Harbor, was the first Black recipient of the Navy Cross and a nominee for the Medal of Honor. 

When I was informed of Miller’s attempted erasure I made a choice.  I chose to quickly focus on actively opposing the ever-present evil of white supremacy by purchasing books from one of my favorite Black owned bookstores about the very person that hate was seeking to erase.  I chose not to be a victim or a participant in white supremacy. I chose to disrupt it.

A week prior to the conversation about Dorie Miller, I participated in a thought-provoking  conversation that invited me to imagine the world in which I would want to live and teach.  Though my initial thought was, “Wakanda,” I allowed my imagination to wander into less of a physical place and more of a state of being.  I landed on living in a world that was centered in love and liberation.  As the conversation continued, the facilitator invited participants to think about how technology could help create the world in the world that we had imagined.  When asked, “How do you feel about harnessing the power of advanced technology to create the world in which you want to live?” my answer was honest and real.  “The robots are taking over. I’m deeply concerned that technology is going to be abused to manipulate and control people and that original, human thought and creativity are going to be compromised.” The facilitator’s confident response to my technology concerns is what prompted this post.  The facilitator heard, understood and validated my response and then thoughtfully said, “Slavers gonna’ slave.” 

The facilitator’s response prompted me to think about the importance of continuing my path toward loving and liberating my community in the face of obstacles.  This sobering response also prompted me to challenge my community members to recognize that the evil of white supremacy will persist in visible and tangible ways and to ask ourselves, “What are we going to do?  How are we going to oppose?” Are we going to be paralyzed by fear?  Are we going to waste precious time gawking at the incredulous acts that we witness? Are we going to wilt under the weight of the burden that we have been assigned?  Or are we going to oppose white supremacy by doing the good works for which we have been created?  I choose the latter.

I believe that in these United States, there will always be slavers, evil people working to buy, sell and own human beings.  As disgusting as this thought is, I know cannot change it. However, I am not powerless or hopeless because I can use my platform to oppose it.  And so can you.

The slaver’s auction block where millions of enslaved Africans and African Americans were dehumanized is present in every facet of American life.  There are auction blocks in education,  healthcare, housing and of course politics.  And today, modern day white supremacists have added the strategy of Whack-a-Mole to its diabolical toolbox.  The evil spirit that is white supremacy knows that while it cannot stop Black progress and Black excellence, it can certainly slow it down and discourage it through the strategy of distraction.  This effective strategy is leaving many Black people exhausted, confused and in a reactive cycle. 

The object of Whack-a-Mole as an amusement is to hit as many of the “moles” that pop up from holes beneath the base of the game within a given amount of time.  The player doesn’t know when or where the moles will appear but he/she stands poised with a large, padded mallet to “whack” the moles as they rear their heads.  Every whacked mole earns points for the player making him/her eligible for a prize. This is part of the strategy of White supremacy:  Keep Black folks hunched over and waiting defensively looking for the moles.  Playing this game wastes time, energy, talent, creativity and there is no prize.  In fact, it slows down Black progress and Black excellence and we lose every single time.

I offer Black people a different strategy:  Don’t play their game.   As difficult as it may be, choose to ignore that game and develop your own micro-strategy to advance Black people.  Identify and keep working on your strategy.  If your strategy involves developing agenda, work on that.  If your strategy involves building schools and creating choices in education, work on that.  Whatever you do, keep moving and choose not to be distracted by what you see happening above ground.  Keep working your strategy underground until it is time to go public.

White supremacy will always send more moles to discourage and distract us.  After all distraction and discouragement are two of Satan’s most effective tools.  He will keep doing it but what are you going to do?

Just weeks ago, Donald Trump issued an Executive Order entitled “Restoring Truth & Sanity to American History” dated March 27^th, 2025 – Mole.  In part the order states, “Over the past decade, Americans have witnessed a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth.  This revisionist movement seeks to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.  Under this historical revision, our Nation’s unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happiness is reconstructed as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed.  Rather than fostering unity and a deeper understanding of our shared past, the widespread effort to rewrite history deepens societal divides and fosters a sense of national shame, disregarding the progress America has made and the ideals that continue to inspire millions around the globe.”  Mole.  Mole.  Mole. Mole.  Mole.  Slaver.  Slaver.  Slaver. Slaver.  Slaver.

The executive order goes on to say in Section 4 entitled “Restoring Truth in American History: (a)  The Secretary of the Interior shall:  determine whether, since January 1, 2020 public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties within the Department of the Interior’s jurisdiction have been removed or changed to perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history, inappropriately minimize the value of certain historical events or figures, or include any improper partisan ideology; (ii) take action to reinstate the pre-existing monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties, as appropriate and consistent with 43 U.S.C. 1451 et seq., 54 U.S.C. 100101 et seq., and other applicable law; and (iii) take action, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to ensure that all public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties within the Department of the Interior’s jurisdiction do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times), and instead focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people or, with respect to natural features, the beauty, abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape.” Mole.  Mole.  Mole. Mole.  Mole. Slaver. Slaver.  Slaver.  Slaver.  Slaver.  Choose not to be distracted.  Choose to keep working.

Here’s one more mole.  Earlier this month, it was reported by the Washington Post that Harriet Tubman’s image and significance had been removed from one the National Park Service’s webpage and had been replaced with images of postage stamps that highlighted “Black and white cooperation.”  According to an April 8^th New York Times article, “New text emphasized that the Underground Railroad “bridged the divides of race” and other differences.”  The NYT article went on to say that “The National Park Service said in a statement on Tuesday that the changes had been made “without approval” from the agency’s leadership, and that the old version had been “immediately restored.”  Mole.  Mole.  Mole.  Mole.  Mole. Slaver.  Slaver.  Slaver.  Slaver.  Slaver.  Choose not to be distracted.  Choose to keep working.

In the face of white supremacy that looms more visibly than ever in my lifetime I choose to to pray for wisdom and discernment from God.  I choose to keep educating myself and my community about accurate African and African History and the contributions of Black people.  I choose to educate children from an Afrocentric perspective.  I choose to eliminate barriers that deny Black children the education they deserve.  I choose to keep actively supporting Black-owned media outlets like Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network.  I choose to listen to podcasts like Native Land Pod and share and apply what I learn.  I choose to keep buying, reading and sharing books from Black owned bookstores like Mahogany Books and Sankofa Bookstore.   I choose to align myself with like-minded people who have a proven track record of being committed to loving and liberating Black people.  “Slavers gonna’ slave.”  We can’t change that but what do you choose to do?