How is it 2020 and we are still smack dab in the middle of a Civil Rights war? on top of a pandemic. 2020 can just go somewhere else because I am tired. Me, white girl, living in colorado, and I am tired and my heart hurts. What am I tired of? I am tired of people not caring for one another, and the hate that is being spread on a daily basis. Im tired of people avoiding talks of race. Im tired of having to explain to others that BLACK lives matter doesn’t mean all lives don’t matter. I’m tired of people at the top picking and choosing what goes in our history books. I have lots I want to say but I struggle with the right words. I struggle with my words being enough, will people listen, will people care, will I make a difference? How can I make a difference? Was what I said OK? Did I offend someone? I run a million scenarios in my head all at once. But as tired as I may think I am, it doesn’t matter. THis isn’t about me. This issue is so complex, and there is so much that happens in our society that we don’t even know about. Ignorance is bliss, right? Not knowing and avoiding hard conversations is how we have gotten to this breaking point. I don’t like writting this and wish I didn’t have to. But I do, and as long as I am a person of white privaledge, it is my job to speak out for those who can’t and those who have been mistreated and not given the same opportunities. ALL DAY EVERYDAY BLACK LIVES MATTER! And always have, and until we can all come together and recognize our system is broken and make change, we are doomed. So I am here to stand with all the BLACK lives lost for no reason at all but the color of their skin.
Did you know? Black Americans account for less than 13 percent of the population but they are shot and killed by the police at a rate that’s over twice as high as for white Americans. (www.statista.com/chart/amp/21857/people-killed-in-police-shootings-in-the-us/) This fact alone should atleast make you question yourself? Are you doing enough? Are you an ally?Can you help more than you already are?
Plenty of people think they are not racist but participate in racist acts that contribute to the systematic implementation that has happened for years. We have to come together and honor one another. We have to call one another out instead of sitting silent. There is definitly something more we all can do. Educate yourself. Surround yourself with friends that hold you accountable and Just do Better! We ( the white community) MUST do Better!
Just a few resources to look into if interested- I have read and watched them all so I know they are good ones:
The hate U give by Angie Thomas- Read the Book! If you can’t read, watch the movie, but the book explains things way better. Its fiction but tells a story needing to be told.
America To Me- A documentary about how racial, economic and class issues in our education system
Between the World and Me– Ta-Nehisi Coates- Short easy read. He writes a lot about Race and is an excellent writer.
Thank you Arielle, I’m glad I bumped into you here. It’s so important to break the silence.x
You got it! We can all do a little more to protect one another.