Consider Sandra Bland's case specifically. She knew her rights, but they were alienable—as was her very humanity.
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Replying to @aurabogado
For starters, Sandra Bland KNEW she was supposed to have the right to be able to express that she was irritated for getting pulled over.
1 reply 17 retweets 10 likes -
Replying to @aurabogado
Sandra Bland also knew that she was supposed to be able to smoke a cigarette if she damn well pleased. She wasn't interfering with anyone.
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Replying to @aurabogado
Sandra Bland also knew that she had the right to remains in her car, because she wasn't posing any threat to Trooper Encinia.
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Replying to @aurabogado
Sandra Bland knew that Trooper Encinia had no right to arrest her—she made no arrest-able offense whatsoever.
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Replying to @aurabogado
Sandra Bland knew she had the right to record her interaction with Trooper Encinia.
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Replying to @aurabogado
Sandra Bland knew hat she had the right to take legal action against Trooper Encinia, and told him she couldn't wait to see him in court.
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Replying to @aurabogado
Sandra Bland knew all her rights, first as a black woman—a human being—and as a citizen of the United States. She expressed this knowledge.
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Replying to @aurabogado
Sandra Bland articulated her legal entitlements as a free person in the U.S. Or, at least, what those entitlements are supposed to be.
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Replying to @aurabogado
But knowing those rights means nothing for many people of color—and for black people in particular. Those rights can be vanished.
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The precedence for alienable rights is rooted in the Fugitive Slave Act. A person's skin color indicated the potential to suspend rights.
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Replying to @aurabogado
For white people, these rights are just that: rights. For black people, these rights are conditional, and always subject to challenge.
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Replying to @aurabogado
Maybe it's less about getting black people to know their rights—and more about getting everyone else to acknowledge black people have them.
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