The disgusting truth is that Black people have been targets of police brutality and systemic oppression to keep us poor, powerless and in our place for as long as we’ve been in this country. Think about the timeline. We were “freed” by Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, 156 years ago. That’s what — three or four generations of people? Then, in 1870, “Free Black Males” were given the right to vote . In 1916, women — mostly white — joined men through the women’s suffrage movement , which largely excluded Black women. That’s only about 100 years of women and Black men having any form of choice. It’s also worth noting the years of voter suppression and discriminatory tactics used to keep those people from actually voting even after legally being awarded the “right.” Even if the power structure was fair — and it most certainly is not — we have barely been at the table making decisions for 100 years. Barely.