Its been nearly a year since I told the story of my ancestors, Patrolman Cobb and Lt. Battle. As part of my preparations, I always review previous questions submitted online in the pre and post-presentation discussion. Over the years, I posted some and even elaborated via social media. For example, What is my opinion on the "N-word (See below).
But one of my all-time favorite questions came from a group of police officers. The question is as follows.
"What got you into giving this presentation to Police Officers? What is your goal or what do you want us to take from of this presentation?"
Now, I do not give any presentation unless I have clear learning objectives, but to be fair, they only seen the description of the program, not the goals. So I went on to cite the learning objectives which can be seen on the website (https://www.strategiesjustice.com/bwmp). But then I paused, and once again, I went "off-script" and responded,
"I want you, people who work in law enforcement, to decide what legacy you chose to uphold. Will you chose the legacy, like Battle and Cobb, to see injustice inside and outside of law enforcement and motivate yourself to change it? or will you help sustain a legacy of oppression?"
This is by far, one of the most challenging decisions to make, but nevertheless, it is a decision that we all have to face.
This is why part two of the Battle with Moses People is titled, "The Battle Continues with Moses People, Establishing the Legacy of Cobb and Battle." This presentation is a collection of narratives collected from police officers and activists from today.