I do not get the paper. I do not have TV. I would say the majority of my news comes from social media. Mostly Facebook. So, after a week of having my new phone, I decided to go through the tedious process of trying to remember, then forgetting, then resetting, my passwords. FB, was taken care of immediately, of course, so the last week has been a “if it’s not on Facebook, I probably didn’t know.” situation. Judge if you must. My life is busy.
So, last night, I keep seeing these statues my a friend of mine. All race related. At first, my response (in my head) was, “quit bringing race into it. That’s why racism still exists. Because people keep perpetuating it by villainizing or victimizing themselves or others.” ….we’ve all said or thought some form of this at some point.
See, I was raised around all sorts. Different colors, cultures, family styles, religions, etc. To ME it never seemed an issue. Color was just a description. He’s black, I’m skinny, they’re young…it was just to give a visual. Connotation with any certain race was only for comedic reasons. (Stereotypes are fun for comedy. Easy material. Haha) You make the skinny blonde girl ditzy and vapid, I will laugh. Not be offended. It’s funny.
Then I read: “It’s not a black problem, it’s a people problem.” Translated “Your feelings of oppression are invalid if they don’t include white people.”
Pause…process…oppression? In 2014? Seems a bit melodramatic. Do blacks really feel oppressed? I’ve never oppressed or would I ever stand for it if I was exposed to it. Hm.
“Consider, that a white felon has almost a 10% better chance at gaining employment then a similarly qualified black person with no criminal history whatsoever. ”
Then, like a train, it hit me. I am ostrich. My head in the sand. It’s the every day that has been wearing on an entire culture. Going to the store. Getting gas. Taking a walk. All the “nothings” that make up our day. How would that feel to be on edge every time you walked into a new place? To feel the eyes watching, or to feel like you did something wrong purely just by existing. I have been judged wrongly and had ppl make assumptions about me. Does it happen DAILY? Has it been a constant repetitive occurrence though out my entire life? No! I am a skinny white girl from Michigan. The closest situation I could relate it to myself was living in Oklahoma. Being called a “damn yankee” or being told to “go back to the north where I belong.” And even that was mildly fixed by just not speaking, adding some “y’alls”, learning to 2-step, and making sure my clothes were never fancier than jeans and a shirt. How would it have felt if I COULDN’T fake it? You can’t take your skin off. You just are as you were born.
So, I finally decide to log into twitter. (After many failed attempts, I figure out which email and password). And it is flooded with tweets and retweets of some city. I see tear gas. I see military dressed officers. I see crowds of blacks with their hands raised. What the Fuck is going on??? And why is this the first I’ve heard of this?? It made me sick to my stomach. I couldnt pull myself away. Tweet after tweet of this town being terrorized by these officers. An boy was shot. This was a peaceful town. These people were unarmed and peaceful. Why is this being treated like a warzone???
How the hell is this going on in the United States? Wake up everyone. See this. Understand how completely horrible, yet possible this is. How do you feel, knowing we live in a place where this happens?? You’re not racist? Then why are you turning a blind eye? Pretend it’s not there. Carry on with your day. That’s what we’re taught to do. You want to know why you can turn away? Because there is not a stigma attached to the color of your skin. My little sister is 9. She is black. My heart breaks with this realization that I was so oblivious to this. I REFUSE to let her grow up in a country that does not see how incredibly amazing she is. I will not stand for her being passed up for a job, or immediately distrusted. Why is she burdened with having to work twice as hard, to even be considered equal? We will take this head on. Because she deserves the same chances I was given. I have no idea how one would even begin to take on changing an entire societies view on a specific group. But I believe that realizing, admitting, and having some compassion and understanding is a step toward it.
thatbethy 