Treseme and Shea Butter
It took me a whole week to figure out a way to articulate how I have been feeling without throwing my words around like little balls of rage. I am hurt. I am angry. I am tired. I am emotional. But I am proud. My beautiful brothers and sisters of all colors, from all walks of life, coming together warms ”my negro heart” as said best by Pardison Fontaine.
Upon seeing the latest big story on the news of another slain black man at the hands of police (in this particular case, George Floyd), I had become so numb that I felt almost nothing. I subconsciously detached from the reality of how disgusting it is, because my soul couldn’t bear the realization that yet another “man” sworn to protect his community, trained to handle people appropriately, would literally get away with murder. It wasn’t until I saw the people, my people, weeping and hurting, destroying, and unleashing their fury that I got my gut check.
I don’t know if other people or people of other races feel this, but I have what I can only describe as a soul tie to the people who share my culture. I can’t describe it, but I would go to war for these people. When they hurt, I hurt. It takes a certain level of pride to be a black person living in America. A pride and confidence that the world did not give us, but that we gave ourselves.
It should never have to come to this. We are closer to the slavery days than you might think. Racism has been the sole point of inception of this country. This home was built on the skeletons of hate. The Native Americans were a prime example of that. Systematic oppression is a prime example of that, and the fact that we are taught the minutest information regarding African American history in schools.
Until we get more black people as our judges, doctors, lawyers, and law enforcement, our black brothers and sisters may just continue to be silenced, incarcerated by the masses, and killed. Until then, whom can we call when we are in danger? Who can we trust when we are dying?
Kings and Queens:
· Don’t attract police presence if you can help it
· Hit them where it hurts—white dollars.
Non-blacks:
· I have a ton of white friends whom I adore, but being asked 12 different times by 12 different people each day what they can do to amend things like I’m the mf black spokesperson is exhausting. It is tiring enough to be a black person right now, let alone the token black friend. Google and proaction are free.
· It counts as an action toward the movement if you speak up on our behalf. Your voice is louder than ours, especially when its in the presence of a racist remark or mindset.
· If all lives matter, so do black lives. Stop minimizing us and just admit you DGAF about us.
· Speaking of minimizing, enough with black on black talk. Until there is talk of Asian on Asian, white on white, etc. your efforts to justify race and murders are irrelevant. Also, there is never going to be justification for a routine traffic stop, an investigation of use of fake money, a FLAT FCKNG TIRE ending in death. NEVER. STFU forever.
o Black people make up 13% of the US population, yet are 24% of the police killings, which is 2.5x more likely than other races. Does that nauseate you?
o The police involved with these murders walked away with no criminal charges. 99% of them, to be exact.
· Watch 13th. Or literally any movie or documentary about slave or civil rights movement treatment.
Everyone: VOTE.
I was sent home from work on Monday because fear of approaching protests. I got in my car and weeped all the way home for my black family and friends, for my unborn black babies, for perfect black strangers, for the other races of people who came together for the fight to legalize being black in this country, and for the people protesting across the world because of the blatant disregard of black human life (which is not exclusive to the US). I also cried for this trash ass year.
People tend to forget why all this is taking place. Protesting has been around for many years; it seems to be the only way to check white supremacy. The issue is that no one can ever tell us a right way to protest. Done peacefully, they find it disrespectful. Done violently, then now we are thugs. We wont be able to get it right in their eyes; and both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were killed regardless, so obviously THEY DON’T CARE HOW OR WHY ITS BEING DONE.
While I don’t condone the looting, and I don’t condone violence or arson, these riots and protests are nothing new. They have gotten us voting rights, public integration, representation and more. But if it takes lighting **** up like its Christmas time in the city (that WE built for free) to convict and try these perpetrators, we don’t need no water.
LET THAT MF BURN.