BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Staying Sober While the World Burns
Staying Sober While the World Burns
As we step into Black History Month, we often focus on the wins; the inventions, the barriers broken, the excellence. But we cannot separate the glory from the grit. Our history is also a chronicle of endurance against impossible odds. This month, as I reflect on the legacy of Medgar Evers and the stolen future of Trayvon Martin, I am reminded that the fight for justice isn't just out there in the streets; it's also in here, in how we treat ourselves. In a world that gives us every reason to check out, staying present is an act of resistance.
Today, February 5th, 2026 marks the anniversary of the conviction of Byron de la Beckwith for the killing of Medgar Evers. It was justice that arrived thirty years late.And as I sit here, holding onto my recovery with both hands, looking around at the political climate in the USA today, it is almost laughable to hear white people suddenly gasping, asking, "What is happening?" or "Why is this happening?" or the ever-clueless "How did we get here?"
They ask these questions as if we Melanated Folks haven't been screaming the answers from the mountain tops since the beginning of slavery in this place we know as the United States of America. We have been telling white America that the system is killing us. We have been saying it from the days of Nat Turner to Emmett Till to Sandra Bland to Keith Porter, Jr.
And I won't lie to you fam, seeing this cycle repeat itself is a trigger. It is the kind of heavy, generational weight that used to send me running for an escape. Because today isn’t just about Medgar getting late justice; today should have also been Trayvon Martin’s 31st birthday. Instead of celebrating a young Black teen entering his prime, we remember a teenager stalked and killed by George Zimmerman. It was the murder of this young Hopeful that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.
When the calendar hits you with that kind of double impact—the old wounds and the fresh ones—it makes the "tickets to the show" look tempting again, just to numb the rage. Because make no mistake, the Melanated are still being targeted because the political climate has emboldened acts of violence against us. It has emboldened votes for further policies that prevent the socioeconomic advancement of the Melanated, especially Black Folk.
When I see this, my addict brain whispers that it’s too much to bear sober. But then I remember Medgar.
Medgar Evers knew this weight. He was a pioneering civil rights activist and the NAACP’s first field secretary in Mississippi who fought against systemic racism, the Jim Crow system, and white supremacy. He was on the frontlines. He fought for Voting Rights, Desegregation, Economic Justice, and Justice for Victims. He was investigating racial violence like the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till while knowing he was a target himself.
Medgar was one of those shouting from the top of the mountain about what the government and society were doing to us. He didn't check out. He didn't numb out. He stayed present for the fight.
The notion of "I can’t believe this is happening" just confirms that many white people, especially those in power, were never listening. Even some so-called liberals and progressives remained silent because it wasn't happening to them. Or worse, they are the first to ask, "Why didn’t they comply?" That is privilege with a sprinkle of complicity and a dash of undercover racism. And where were the All Lives Matter crowd for Renee and Alex in Minneapolis?
It is enough to make you want to scream, and for those of us in recovery, it is enough to make us want to use. But selective rage doesn’t bring change, and neither does checking out. Sometimes justice comes slowly. But we have to be here, clear-headed and fully present, to call out the injustices.
We will shout it from Selma. We will shout it from the hurricane Katrina rooftops in New Orleans. We will shout it from the streets of Ferguson and New York City. We will stay sober, and we will have justice!
Deaths in ICE Custody and Agent-Involved Incidents
Based on current records for deaths in ICE custody and incidents involving agents, the following tables organize identified Black individuals by time period. This compilation is based on public reports and is not exhaustive.
Recent Deaths (2024–2026)
The last two years have seen a significant spike in fatalities, including both medical emergencies in detention and fatal encounters with agents.
Name | Age | Date of Death | Nationality / Notes
Keith Porter Jr. | 43 | Dec 31, 2025 | USA – Killed by off-duty ICE agent
Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir | 46 | Dec 14, 2025 | Eritrea
Jean Wilson Brutus | 41 | Dec 12, 2025 | Haiti
Keith Porter Jr. | 43 | Dec 31, 2025 | USA – Killed by off-duty ICE agent
Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir | 46 | Dec 14, 2025 | Eritrea
Jean Wilson Brutus | 41 | Dec 12, 2025 | Haiti
Marie Ange Blaise | Unknown | Apr 25, 2025 | Haiti
Serawit Gezahegn Dejene | Unknown | Jan 29, 2025 | Ethiopia
Cambric Dennis | 44 | May 22, 2024 | Liberia
Charles Leo Daniel | 61 | Mar 7, 2024 | Trinidad and Tobago
Ousmane Ba | 33 | Feb 23, 2024 | Senegal
Frankline Okpu | 37 | Dec 6, 2023 | Cameroon | N/A | Apr 25, 2025 | Haiti
Serawit Gezahegn Dejene | N/A | Jan 29, 2025 | Ethiopia
Cambric Dennis | 44 | May 22, 2024 | Liberia
Charles Leo Daniel | 61 | Mar 7, 2024 | Trinidad and Tobago
Ousmane Ba | 33 | Feb 23, 2024 | Senegal
Frankline Okpu | 37 | Dec 6, 2023 | Cameroon
Historical and Notable Cases
These names are frequently cited in reports regarding systemic issues or lack of medical care within the ICE detention system.
Jesse Dean | 58 | Feb 2021 | Bahamas – Michigan
Anthony Jones | 51 | Dec 2020 | USA – Florida
Anthony Oluseye Akinyemi | 37 | Dec 2019 | Nigeria – Maryland
Samuelino Mavinga | 40 | Dec 2019 | Angola – New Mexico
Nebane Abienwi | 37 | Oct 2019 | Cameroon – California
Tekle Tyndall | 26 | 2016 | Guyana – Florida
Clement Mshila | 38 | 2012 | Kenya – New Jersey
Boubacar Bah | 31 | 2007 | Guinea – New Jersey
Note: This list is compiled from public reports and may not be exhaustive, as race is not always officially disclosed by ICE. Organizations such as Freedom for Immigrants and the ACLU maintain more detailed logs of these incidents to ensure these lives are remembered.
