Three Black men partner to confront the fentanyl crisis

Who can forget the 1980’s and the formative stages of the crack epidemic. None of us had any idea how this derivative of powdered cocaine would flood the streets and highways of America and pounce on the black community. Imagine how many lives would have been saved and families protected if we could go back in time and do things differently. Today, our fallback position regarding the crack epidemic is:” we simply did not know the damage the drug would cause.”

History reaches out with long talons. Themes repeat from generation to generation.

Today, we approach the abyss of another life altering-family-destroying drug catastrophe. But today it’s not crack, it’s fentanyl. A leading Pentagon official said: “fentanyl is the most severe threat to the national security of the United States that exists today.”

Is it inconceivable that the impact of fentanyl, ‘tranq dope’ and other combinations will make the crack epidemic seem like ‘child’s play.’ There are many across the healthcare and law enforcement communities who believe this isn’t possible; but that it is an eventuality.

History has presented the pattern: vulnerable communities will be decimated, with families wrecked and robbed of hope and stability. Sadly, we recall that during the height of the crack epidemic, more than 40% of black children under 16 lived with a grandparent—often because crack had robbed these children of their parents. The crack epidemic was a public health crisis ‘re-branded’ as a righteous ‘law and order’ war on citizens of color, dutifully starring dark-skinned faces on the evening news.

We must not allow fentanyl to unfold with a identical playbook. Fentanyl is coming to your community, your neighborhood, your church, and family. It’s only a matter of time. We should be concerned that fentanyl seeks to finish what the crack epidemic began.

As a nation, we offer ‘thoughts and prayers’ as our default position– somehow hoping that things will be, ‘ok.’

We can do more, We can act.

Three black men have joined forces to act. They are producing documentary films that educate, illuminate and inspire communities to confront and act regarding the impact of fentanyl and opioid addiction. The film is called, unFORGIVABLE: Opioids in America.

Ed Gray of ‘The Commish Radio Show’ podcast—longtime political strategist and historian, is partnering with Sam Allen, President of the Texas Buffalo Soldiers Association and award-winning filmmaker and producer Lindell Singleton to make this project a reality.

“‘The scourge of our lifetime’ is more than a quote; it is a threat to our communities,” Gray said. “In one generation the Fentanyl Opioid Epidemic will be the last combination of destructive punches that will destroy our communities and future. We must act today because the future is here.“

There is little doubt that the systemic issues that drive Americans toward illicit drug use, despair and a dependence on pain medication can ever be eliminated. We must embrace emerging trends and evidence-based treatment methods that will prevent the devastation of communities that occurred during the crack epidemic. This documentary is the starting point for this journey of action.

“There is an embedded sense of angst and loneliness that is part of the American experience,” Singleton said. “We search for ways to ease the intensity of the pain. In this film, we present the stories of how real people face this pain while helping them understand the roots of it…and how to stop pushing it forward to the next generation. The power of film and storytelling is the path forward.”