Month: June 2020

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They can feel the tide turning.

For the past few years, especially, hate and racism were celebrated and allowed to be broadcast in the light of day.

Hate and racism felt empowered and the ugly could sing in the bright sunshine.

The empowerment was relished.

You can tell by all of the videos of the ‘Karens’.  They realize the tide is turning.  They may have to go back to the dark corners, the basements, the night time.

They are making their last-ditch efforts.

You can’t be upset about your children being killed in the light of day with cameras rolling, you must find an appropriate way to protest that I approve.  But, I can riot because you have said I have to wear a mask, leash my dog, or wait to get a haircut.

No worries, we plan to stay strong.

We will not shut up.

We will make hate and racism wrong again.

#ByeKaren

 

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Most violent crime is intra-racial and happens because of proximity. There is also white on white crime. People bring this up to get you to shut up about white police on black crime. They hope to get you stuck in a loop defending intra-racial violence and try to suggest intra-racial violence only happens in black communities. Systemic denial of services in poor neighborhoods is what makes those neighborhoods bad, not any intrinsic qualities of a certain race. Also, when black people kill other black people, there is accountability, they go to jail. When white police officers kill black people, the white police officers, most times, don’t.

Why are you saying black lives matter, when you know all lives matter?

OK, Amy, you know that we mean black lives matter too and that all lives can’t matter until black lives matter.

Why do you riot?

Because you feel you have not been heard. You tried kneeling, you tried peaceful protests, you tried hashtags, you tried screaming, and they are still murdering your people in the light of day with cameras rolling and hands in their pockets. Amy, even you blew up when that man asked you to leash your dog.

What should I do?

Use your privilege to call out and fight racism and injustice whenever you see it, even if it pisses off your non-black friends. Stand up for justice at work – black friends at work are suffering every day from injustices that can be attributed to their skin color; treated with discourtesy, treated as though they are not smart, treated as though people should be afraid of them, treated as though what they just said should be dismissed, mistreated because privilege may not be enough to help compete against a very qualified underrepresented minority. Amy stop saying they shouldn’t bring up the race card, they shouldn’t be so angry.

Why defund the police?

Amy, you are not confused. You know that defunding the police means to no longer invest in qualified immunity, civil asset forfeiture, the drug war, over-criminalization, no-knock warrants, militarization of police, and mandatory minimums, but invest more in housing, education, community, and our youth.

Amy, I, too have privilege and influence.  I have earned that over time.  I commit to mentor.  I commit to building up my sisters who have to deal with the daily indignities that are suffocating.  I commit to speak up and call out racism and injustice.  I commit to insisting on not making the hire until a slate of under-represented candidates is interviewed.  I commit to speak up when I see all the underrepresented employees at the bottom of the evaluation ratings.  I commit to building up the self-esteem of our black children that have to listen to leaders tell them to accept injustice because … what do they have to lose?

Yeah, I commit to not accepting that our children’s lives matter less, and I commit NOT to shut up.

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In these times, what can we do?

Infiltrate communities that do not regularly suffer the indignities of being black or suffer the psychological suffocation of not being able to bring up injustices because it makes others feel uncomfortable.

We must be more than non-racist.  We must be anti-racist.

It will take courage.

Non-black friends may not want to hear it.  We must stay strong, this is a larger fight.

Let go of cowardice. It builds character.

We can be the best allies by using privilege to be openly and overtly anti-racist.

We must call out and combat injustice whenever it is seen, even if it makes one unpopular with friends.

Why do people riot?

Sometimes it may be because we are broke, angry, unheard, and reacting to pain.

I would suggest, if a man who just found out the rapist of his daughter just got off and will not be arrested, he may go after said rapist and try to strangle the person.

This may not be the best way for him to protest, but I think we would cut him some slack. We would not tell him at that time, that this is not the most productive way to gain justice.  For those not having to live with his pain, we would cut him some slack.

Also, sometimes when you kneel, when you bring up these issues in non-violent protests, they still kill your children with impunity.  There were signs 40 years ago in protests that said ‘stop killing black people‘.

When you are unheard, you may scream, you may riot.

No justice, no peace.

Many people get to WALK by egregious and small acts of racism every day.  Others have to LIVE with egregious and small acts of racism and injustice every day.

Makes you wanna holler!

Also, some times when people ask ‘why do you RIOT?’, it is because they really want you to be QUIET.  You bringing up all that racism stuff is uncomfortable for me.  People try to find a way to distract and end the conversation.

Please shut up and suffer in silence so that I can go about living my comfortable, racism-free life. It is this apathy that allows injustice and racism to continue. We ALL must stand up and say that no one should have to suffer racism and injustice in silence.  It is unfair to ask people to suffer racism, injustice, and killings in silence so that other people can have Sunday Brunch in peace.  

We cannot ask people to live with the hopelessness that injustice, racism, and killing is ‘just another Wednesday‘ in their lives.

This moment can be transformational for all of us, not EASY, but transformational. There is an urgency of NOW.

What gives me faith in the promise of America is that it seems that those 10-16 year-olds of all colors and faiths seem to understand.  They do not equivocate.  Racism and injustice exist. Racism is wrong. #Blacklifematters. #Nojusticenopeace.