It never stops!

Dr. E. Faye Williams
TriceEdneyWire.com Columnist

Marcus Garvey, SoJourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, Medgar Evers, Ida B. Wells, Dr. M.L. King Jr. – even John Brown, a white man, worked so hard because they believed that one day, America would live up to her name for “We the People” that would include all of us – that America would come to be better than she began.

All these years later, we’re still struggling for justice. For several months now, I have come to know who Marilyn Mosby is, who Fani Willis is, who Kim Gardner is, who Kim Fox is, who Aramis Ayala is, who Leticia James is when she says “No one is above the law.” We know that list of Black women being both persecuted, prosecuted and undermined for doing their jobs.

We women understood the problems our people faced and went to law school. Most of us graduated with high honors, and came out of law school determined to bring some manner of justice to our people. While I didn’t spend a lot of time in the courtroom, in every job I’ve worked, I’ve given a full measure to all I did to better somebody’s life. Those I’ve named here, and I know there are more, have been brilliant in the work they’ve tried to do.

Somehow, a system that finds every way to tell us we don’t belong, and sadly the system continues to knock some of our best and brightest down to remind our sisters that no matter how hard we work, we must be careful because there’s always someone lurking around just waiting to figure out a way to allow us to go only so far.

Working on the case against Marilyn Mosby, I found there’s a limit to what the system will allow Black women to do. Marilyn was selectively prosecuted for doing her job in daring to prosecute rogue police officers for crimes against our people. I know anger can consume and destroy us, so I chose to work to make a difference. The system has so damaged some of our people to the point they’re afraid to stand up for what some call controversial. Maybe they are afraid and chose to work behind the scene. Many of us with far less clout have worked day and night to get to where the case is now. We don’t plan to quit until President Biden pardons Marilyn, until she gets her bar credentials back, and gets her property back and is made whole. That is under appeal. Ltc. Tyrone Bost was our leader and he worked so hard that it gave the rest of us energy to work another day. We arrived at the court at 9 a.m. est. and we were there until 5 p.m. The wait was well worth it.

Upon arrival at the court, I saw so many already there – some on crutches and walking sticks. As my friend Dick Gregory would say, “They were walking the way they do when they’re going to the liquor store or to get their lottery tickets!”

The night before the sentencing, my good friends Dr. Stephanie Myers, Dr. Barbara Reynolds and others from Black Women for Positive Change held a prayer vigil. We began believing it was possible to eliminate that proposed 40-year prison term. As it turned out the 40 years went down to 100 hours of community service! That was no challenge for Marilyn because she’d already been doing that!

Please go to www.justiceformarilynmosby.com. Fill the petition to get a pardon for Marilyn. President Biden has the authority to do it, and it’s up to us to, as another President once said, “Make him do it.” Black people played the biggest role getting him in the White House. Let’s keep him reminded.

This article originally published in the June 3, 2024 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.