MISSISSIPPI GODDAM (UNISEX TRI-BLEND MUSCLE TANK)

There's so goddamn (see what I did there?) much I could write here.

But here's the short...

On August 28th, 1955, in Drew, Mississippi, a child, fourteen-year-old Emmett Louis Till, was kidnapped, tortured and brutally murdered because he was black.

And only because he was black.

And all of it predicated upon some bullshit from a racist white broad* who couldn't have told the truth if her racist, cracker-ass life had depended upon it.

That was 1955.

On January 24th, 2023, in Braxton, Mississippi, six cracker-ass-racist-cops (isn't that redundant?) kicked in the door and entered a home (sans a warrant or any exigent circumstances) because a white neighbor (see: "racist white broad" above) had complained to one of the cops that night that two Black men were staying at the home with a white woman, court documents show.

Those two black men were Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker*.

There, the officers handcuffed, punched, kicked, waterboarded, tasered (more than 17 times) and sexually assaulted Mr. Parker & Mr. Jenkins over a nearly two hour period before one put a gun in Mr. Jenkins’ mouth and pulled the trigger - the bullet lacerated his tongue and broke his jaw before exiting out his neck. Throughout the course of their violent acts, the cops repeatedly shouted racial slurs at their victims - including, but not limited to, "nigger", "monkey" & "boy".

That was 2023.

Nina Simone first performed her composition "Mississippi Goddam" in 1964.

It was her response to the murders of Emmett Till and civil rights activist Medgar Evers in Mississippi, and the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama.

She composed it in one sitting.

In less than an hour.

And then fearlessly and unabashedly belted it out at Carnegie Hall.

Now tell me, in sixty-nine goddam years, what the fuck has really changed?


(and no, don't tell me, "because the cops were convicted")


* Who may, or may not, have been named Karen (or Becky).


** Mr. Parker was a childhood friend of the homeowner, Kristi Walley. Ms. Walley has been paralyzed since she was 15, and Parker was there helping to care for her.

And if you want to read the full depths of the cops depravity, here's a link to the criminal complaint filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi (Northern Division) on July 23rd, 2023:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/1308901/dl?inline



The words of Nina Simone:

Alabama’s gotten me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi goddam

Alabama’s gotten me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi goddam

Can’t you see it
Can’t you feel it
It’s all in the air
I can’t stand the pressure much longer
Somebody say a prayer

Alabama’s gotten me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi goddam

Hound dogs on my trail
School children sitting in jail
Black cat cross my path
I think every day’s gonna be my last

Lord have mercy on this land of mine
We all gonna get it in due time
I don’t belong here
I don’t belong there
I’ve even stopped believing in prayer

Don’t tell me
I tell you
Me and my people just about due
I’ve been there so I know
They keep on saying ‘Go slow!’

But that’s just the trouble
‘Do it slow’
Washing the windows
‘Do it slow’
Picking the cotton
‘Do it slow’
You’re just plain rotten
‘Do it slow’
You’re too damn lazy
‘Do it slow’
The thinking’s crazy
‘Do it slow’
Where am I going
What am I doing
I don’t know
I don’t know

Just try to do your very best
Stand up be counted with all the rest
For everybody knows about Mississippi goddam

Picket lines
School boy cots
They try to say it’s a communist plot
All I want is equality
For my sister my brother my people and me

Yes you lied to me all these years
You told me to wash and clean my ears
And talk real fine just like a lady
And you’d stop calling me Sister Sadie

Oh but this whole country is full of lies
You’re all gonna die and die like flies
I don’t trust you anymore
You keep on saying ‘Go slow!’
‘Go slow!’

But that’s just the trouble
‘Do it slow’
Desegregation
‘Do it slow’
Mass participation
‘Do it slow’
Reunification
‘Do it slow’
Do things gradually
‘Do it slow’
But bring more tragedy
‘Do it slow’
Why don’t you see it
Why don’t you feel it
I don’t know
I don’t know

You don’t have to live next to me
Just give me my equality
Everybody knows about Mississippi
Everybody knows about Alabama
Everybody knows about Mississippi goddam, that’s it


Bella + Canvas 3483 Boilerplate*:

This soft, tri-blend, sleeveless, unisex muscle tank is so comfy you're going to want to wear it everywhere, be it on your couch, out on a walk, or during your workout or yoga class. Whenever, or wherever, you decide to wear it, this updated take on our classic unisex muscle tank feels just like one of your well-worn favorites. Featuring a truly relaxed fit, soft crew neck & wide, low-cut armholes resulting in the perfect piece for a casual everyday look or a sports outfit.

• 52% superior Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, 48% polyester
• Fabric weight: 4.2 oz/y² (142 g/m²)
• 32 singles
• Relaxed fit
• Side-seamed construction
• Wide, low-cut armholes

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