#icantbreathe
I haven’t figured out to handle everything that’s been going on. I haven’t figured out the right words to say. I haven’t been able to fully understand the horrific acts that have taken place. I haven’t figured out how to deal with my emotions. I haven’t figured out how to respond or how to talk about what’s happened. But those aren’t reasons to not speak up or to stay silent about the heartbreaking things that are going on. Sharing things on your Instagram story isn’t enough. Repeating Black Lives Matter isn’t enough. Talking with your close friends and family about it isn’t enough. So I’m speaking out in the ways I know how and the ways that I think can have some impact - through writing and photography.
It’s a very dark, uncomfortable, and hard topic to discuss, but it has to be done if we are going to see any changes. We can’t continue to just go on about our days as if nothing is happening; we can’t continue to turn a blind eye to the pain, injustice, and unfair treatment of black people.
I’m a woman who is half black and half white. And honestly, who I am has never hit me as hard as it is right now. It’s hard to explain, but it’s a very weird, confusing feeling in the midst of everything that’s happening. But it’s also a very beautiful thing that I’m learning to embrace more than ever before. Let me be real for a second - I grew up in Gardner, KS, a small town that consisted of about 90% white people. All of my best friends from my childhood are white. And except for a couple of small instances, I’ve never had to deal with any issues in regards to my race. I’ve always loved the fact that I’m mixed; I’ve always been very proud of that. But I will say that until recently, I hadn’t focused NEAR as much attention as I should have on topics surrounding racial prejudice, injustice and the PAIN that people of color have been facing for so long. Because I never really dealt with it firsthand, I think it was just something that felt distant to me. I wasn’t as educated as I should have been and I was way too “neutral” about it. I’m black and I’m white - something that I consider to be so beautiful and powerful, but I was taking it too lightly. I simply can’t and won’t anymore. It’s a heavy topic that comes with heavy emotions, but it HAS to be talked about. So I’m going to use the fact that I am mixed with both races to my advantage - I’m going to speak out and stand up for the black community, and I’m also going to try and educate the non-black community.
It’s 2020 and this is NOT OKAY.
There are black men and women being murdered in our country, simply based on the color of their skin. There are black men and women being treated unfairly, simply based on the color of their skin. There are black men and women that aren’t given the same opportunities, simply based on the color of their skin. There are black men and women who are judged, simply based on the color of their skin. THIS IS AN ISSUE that can’t be solved by reposting things on social media. This HAS to be something we talk about, whether it’s uncomfortable or not. This HAS to make you angry, regardless of your own skin color. There has to be action behind the countless amount of powerful words being spread across our country. This can’t be another incident - another human being - that gets forgotten about or pushed to the side. The racial prejudice, inequality and injustice that’s currently happening has BEEN happening. It’s not anything new. And that’s the problem. How are we still facing the same issues that our parents, our grandparents and our great-grandparents faced? How are we still living in a world where people are treated differently JUST BASED ON THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN? How are there still people that stand by or look the other way when discrimination is happening? How are we still living in a world where black people are murdered, beaten, arrested, judged and mocked because of their skin? How is it possible that we’re still living in a world where black mothers have to fear for their children, just because of the way they look? I will never understand. Ever. But I hope and pray that our generation can create positive and permanent changes.
There has to be a change. And it starts with US and the generations that come after us.
Here’s the unfortunate and sad truth that many people don’t want to accept and a big reason why we’re still dealing with racism in 2020 - There are too many people who turn a blind eye. There are too many people who don’t feel like they have a place to speak up. There are too many people who only care about their little bubble in their own world. There are too many people who feel uncomfortable, so they'd rather just stay silent. There are too many people who are worried about offending someone. There are too many people who feel uneducated, so they don’t speak up. There are too many people who feel like it’s not their fight because it has never affected them. There are too many people still using the term “All Lives Matter”. There are too many people who get offended when the term White Privilege is used and have no interest in becoming educated on the topic.
I feel like there are two specific topics that are getting a lot of attention during all of this (rightfully so) and causing MORE of a divide then we are already facing. And I think it’s simply because people are not educated enough on the topics, which leads to defensiveness and disagreements.
The first is White Privilege.
“having greater access to power and resources than people of color [in the same situation] do.” - Francis E. Kendall
The term “White privilege” does not mean you’ve had an easy life, that you have been handed everything, or that you haven’t had to work for things. It doesn’t mean that you’ve never been hurt or judged by someone, that you’ve never struggled, or experienced painful things. White privilege means that, because of the color of your skin, you’re given advantages and benefits that aren’t often shared by people of color; it means that you don’t have to fear for your safety when being pulled over by a cop, it means you are automatically given more opportunities; it means you don’t have to worry about your children being treated unfairly because of the color of their skin, it means you can walk into a store without being racially profiled or seen as a threat. White privilege is living in a world in which you are viewed as normal, safe, and “good people”, just because of your skin color. It’s also a term that is oftentimes invisible to those that are privileged and very evident to those of color; it’s a term that allows those with privilege the option to remain silent because they don’t want the discomfort of speaking up.
But please keep this in mind (and remind others) - white privilege is not a term intended for white people to take personally or to get offended by. It’s not something to feel guilty about, to be ashamed of, or to be embarrassed by. I think that if more white people understood the term and used that to acknowledge the racial injustice and prejudice, we would start to see changes. Saying “I see no color” is something that stems from white privilege. Saying “All Lives Matter” is something that stems from white privilege. I know there are people that use those phrases as an attempt to unify all races (which is appreciated if that’s your intention), but it simply isn’t what we need right now. We all need to be acknowledging that BLACK LIVES MATTER because that is the group of people who is hurting and has been hurting for so long. We need non-black people to acknowledge the privilege they’ve been given, educate yourself on the topic so you can then educate others, and then use it to benefit and help ALL races.
“This privilege is invisible to many white people because it seems reasonable that a person should be extended compassion as they move through the world. It seems logical that a person should have the chance to prove themselves individually before they are judged. It’s supposedly an American ideal. And just as people of color did nothing to deserve this unequal treatment, white people did not “earn” disproportionate access to compassion and fairness. They receive it as the byproduct of systemic racism and bias. Even if they are not aware of it in their daily lives as they walk along the streets, this privilege is the result of conscious choices made long ago and choices still being made today.”
- Cory Collins
The second is “All Lives Matter”.
“anyone who has kept any type of pulse on civil rights and the black human condition in the United States since the transatlantic slave trade would understand the need to emphasize the protection of black bodies.” - Rachel Cargle
There has been a lot of discussion around “All Lives Matter” vs “Black Lives Matter”, especially during times like this. I’ve seen it time and time again - someone will post a “Black Lives Matter” meme or picture or status, and someone then comments “ALL LIVES MATTER”. Obviously all lives matter. 100%. We ALL suffer in some way. We ALL have experienced painful, traumatic things in our lives. We ALL matter. But right now, in our world, we are fighting for black lives. We are fighting for black men and women who are wrongfully treated because of their skin color. We are trying to make changes for the black community. This has been a battle for so long, and it’s still affecting black people every single day. So saying “Black Lives Matter” is not implying that the lives of other races don’t matter. Of course they do. But right now, our focus should be on BLACK LIVES. Our focus should be on coming together to somehow change the brokenness in our world in regards to racial prejudice. When I’ve seen the phrase “All Lives Matter” in response to “Black Lives Matter”, I see that as privilege; I see that as a way to dismiss the very real oppression that black people face today and have faced for decades.
Billie Eilish posted this and I think she explained it perfectly (lots of cussing, but she gets the point across for sure) -
I just want people to realize this (specifically my non-black friends, family and followers) - YOU CAN SPEAK OUT. You don’t have to be fully educated on the topic, you don’t have to know everything in regards to the history of racism. The heartbreaking things that are happening in our world are very evident and very wrong. If you can see what’s happening, and if you know it’s wrong, STAND UP in some way and stand with the black community. You can use your voice - on social media and to your family and friends. You can protest what’s happening. You can help in other ways to show your support (by donating, educating yourself, listening to black people and the stories they share, signing petitions, protesting peacefully, etc). You can acknowledge that BLACK LIVES MATTER. It may seem uncomfortable, but it has to happen if we want to see permanent changes.
It’s not enough to be non-racist and to be a “good person”. There’s a difference between being non-racist vs being anti-racist. There’s a difference between being a good person vs being a person who stands up for what is right. We have to come together.
For anyone who is wanting or needing some educational resources, here are some lists of activist accounts to follow, books and articles to read, movies to watch etc. I hope this helps!
Articles:
“The Death of George Floyd, In Context,” by Jelani Cobb of The New Yorker
Why You Need to Stop Saying "All Lives Matter" by Rachel Cargle for Bazaar
“Of Course There Are Protests. The State Is Failing Black People,” by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor for the New York Times
The New York Times Magazine’s award-winning The 1619 Project is as important as ever. Take some time to read (or re-read) the entire thing, particularly this essay by Nikole Hannah-Jones
“You shouldn’t need a Harvard degree to survive birdwatching while black,” by Samuel Getachew, a 17-year-old and the 2019 Oakland youth poet laureate, for the Washington Post
“It’s exhausting. How many hashtags will it take for all of America to see Black people as more than their skin color?” by Rita Omokha for Elle
“How to Make This Moment the Turning Point for Real Change,” by Barack Obama in Medium
Books:
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad
A Spectacular Secret: Lynching in American Life and Literature by Jacqueline Goldsby
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Biased by Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt
Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy by David Zucchino
Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children In A Racially Unjust America by Jennifer Harvey
Movies:
The Hate U Give, a film based on the YA novel offering an intimate portrait of race in America
Just Mercy, a film based on civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson’s work on death row in Alabama
The 1965 debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley
My hour on the history of Confederate statues in Nat Geo’s America Inside Out
Becoming, a Netflix documentary following Michelle Obama on her book tour
Let It Fall, a documentary looking at racial tensions in Los Angeles and the riots over Rodney King’s death
When They See Us, a Netflix miniseries from Ava DuVernay about the Central Park Five
13th, a Netflix documentary exposing racial inequality within the criminal justice system
I Am Not Your Negro, a documentary envisioning the book James Baldwin was never able to finish
Selma, a film that chronicles the marches of the Civil Rights Movement
Activist and informative accounts:
Rachel Cargle @rachel.cargle
Brittany Cunningham @mspackyetti
@blklivesmatter
@ckyourprivilege
Layla Saad @laylafsaad
@theconsciouskid