Photo by Elle Arra
Today’s guest post for our series on living Black in the United States was written by my friend, Elle Arra. I met Elle Arra through her poetry blog here on WordPress. She is an amazing poet and visual artist, and I was delighted to learn she lives right here in Northern Alabama. In fact, we know many of the same people! We have made plans to get together for tea when meeting and greeting are safe again.
In this post, Elle Arra combines poetry, photos, and reportage to share her experience of participating in a protest over the Alabama District Attorney’s refusal to release officers’ body camera footage in the police shooting of Dana Sherrod Fletcher last November.
Suspended above the day’s mundanity and slog,
an ever-present tightrope
black bodies traverse in tandem.
It’s like navigating an ocean built
almost entirely of undertow
while maintaining stride and heft of dreams.
We are not permitted our hysteria
not without it being labeled non sequitur rage.
We walk this tightrope
lilting between full bloom
and languish,
walk with bullets in our backs,
twine around our necks,
asphalt under our skin,
knees on our windpipes,
tree branches in our hair,
blood like rubies cascading,
splayed bone like smooth porcelain,
black skin – ribbons and ribbons,
afro confetti––
Photo by Elle Arra
Sunday, August 16, 2020. I walked the four corners of US 72 and Wall Triana [in Madison County, Alabama] where giant signs were hoisted in peaceful protest of the shooting of Dana Fletcher 10 months earlier. I took photos and spoke with his wife and mother who have had to wedge their grief and mourning between breathing and fighting for justice. I cannot imagine having to take moments meant for private sorrows to fight publicly for transparency—the human and decent thing being denied them.
Photo by Elle Arra
I watched Dana’s now fatherless daughter playing in the grass while her mother, grandmother, and a sizable group gave everything they had to this effort. I took it all in–the focus on their faces, the bullhorn call and response, and the raised signs calling for justice.
Photo by Elle Arra
It was extremely hot and humid that late morning/early afternoon, but the dedicated group spent three hours occupying the four corners of the intersection adjacent to the lot where Dana was killed. People from all walks of life honked as they drove by and elevated their fists through car windows in solidarity. Several vehicles pulled up and gifted cold, refreshing, electrolyte drinks to the protestors. There was beauty in the coming together despite the bitter reasons for the gathering; there was beauty in the union of people of all colors and lifestyles for one common goal.
Photo by Elle Arra
On October 27, 2019 Dana Fletcher was fatally shot by a Madison police officer in front of his wife and daughter. Nearly a year later, there still has been no transparency in this matter. According to Alabama law, body camera footage is privileged information, so the District Attorney refuses to release the footage or the alleged 911 call that precipitated Fletcher’s death. Stills from the incident have been released, but these stills do not reveal the whole story.
You can help. Please go to change.org and sign the petition to enact the Dana Fletcher bill making bodycam footage public record.
Photo by Elle Arra
We walk that tightrope,
what a beautiful gait.
––even our dying is a glorious walk home.
To learn more about Elle Arra and her work, please follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
Photo by Elle Arra
[All images in this post captured by Elle Arra with Fujifilm X-E1 f/1.0 1/4000 50.00mm ISO200].
Signed. Thanks for letting me know about it.
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Thank you for signing! Action is crucial ✊🏾
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Thanks for signing!!! And for reading!
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Yours is one of the few blogs I always read.
Okay, almost always. Life gets ahead of me some weeks.
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Aww…you just made my day (well, uh…night). Thank you–and I understand too well about life getting in the way.
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“We are not permitted our hysteria
not without it being labeled non sequitur rage.”
YES! This right here. Thank you for sharing Elle’s work with us.
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Thank you 🙏🏽
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Yes! Elle Arra!! I’m sure she is grateful for your affirmation. Thank you for reading, Lady. How’s your semester going so far?
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It just started, so I am being bombarded with emails for add codes and students who missed the MANDATORY check in assignment and are now asking to please please please be let back in the class. Sigh.
Other than that, so far so good.
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We have to make so many concessions while we’re navigating this strange terrain. Sending you light and energy for the madness ahead. 😀
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How about you?
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How sad, that the very skin wrapping our bodies, used to pray with, to comfort our children, hold our spouses, create, build, manifest what we imagine, is seen as a weapon. This skin is seen as a marker for being less than when we are, in fact, fabulous to the touch and gorgeous to the ear. Thank you for inviting Elle to your space, to inspire thought, prayerfully inspire action, and share her wonderful vision of just how tremendous a creation we are.
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♥️
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This is incredibly powerful. Thank you for sharing your words.
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Thank you, my beautiful friend ❤
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Awww…Thank you for stepping into Pics and Posts. I know you have a “vested interest” here, but still, you took the time. That says a lot.
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Yes, I do 🙂 but I have been absent from WP for quite some time and I now have a reason to revisit!
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You and Elle Arra should get back to blogging. The world needs your voices.
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This is an awesome vivid piece that displays the raw emotions and reality of the social injustice that we face. The words and pictures both paint a picture of the experience that happened and what we experience.The love and depth is real and felt. Great work.
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I’m so glad you appreciate the work of Elle Arra. I’ll be sure that she sees your comment. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment!
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This is Deep! I could actually see the story while reading the words. Powerfully said!
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I’m happy you appreciate the post. I will make sure Elle Arra sees your comment.
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