This past month has been quite draining and disorienting for
myself and other black people in the world. There have been several instances
in which black men and women were killed for what it appears to be just for breathing.
Mind you this isn’t new. It’s just being filmed and exposed now. This has been
going on forever but when you add the stress of the pandemic it adds an extra
layer of trauma, especially since blacks are disproportionately affected by Covid-19.
It’s sad. It’s infuriating. It’s scary. So much has happened within these past 5
days since George Floyd’s death. There have been peaceful protests that soon
turned into rioting and looting. If I’m being honest, the rioting and looting doesn’t
bother me at all. This is an outcry of people who have been unheard and treated
unfairly for so long and are fed up. I’m fed up. The response in the media and from
many of my non-black counterparts on social media has been quite disappointing.
It may be foolish of me to expect non-blacks who claim to be my friend and love
me to speak out and advocate for equality and justice as they do for other
causes that matter to them. But I did expect it and now I’m disappointed.
I’m disappointed in the silence from the non-black mental health professionals and school psychologists who I know. Is it too much to ask to show that you care about your black colleagues or care about the black community to whom you service? I understand that many non-blacks may not know what to say or what to do during a time like this but I don’t think that is a fair excuse to continue to use, especially since this is not the first time this country has experienced a time like this. This was the same response in 2014 when Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Missouri. I could name many other times this has happened but that time in particular stands out in my mind because I remember I had the same exact feeling of rage and disappointment. When will we come together to educate others about race, privilege, and riots? How long will the excuse of, “I don’t know what to say” be acceptable? How much more needs to happen before you finally educate yourself and be open enough to have those tough conversations? Enough is enough. I have seen some non-blacks speaking out but it has been very few from my perspective.
I had an encounter on social media in which a follower asked me why do we need non-blacks to speak out and what good would that do? To be honest that question confused and irritated me especially since it came from a black man. What needs to be understood is that white supremacy, white privilege, and systemic racism exist and the communities most impacted are black and brown people. The reality is that white voices are heard and white tears are seen in this country. This has been proven time and time again in our history. Black people are not taken seriously and are often villainized in this country. I could go on and on about this but I’ll leave it there for now.
I’m tired. Black people as a whole are exhausted. It’s draining and difficult being the victim and the problem-solver at the same time. It would be ideal that as we heal as a people to be able to pass the baton to true allies and advocates of other communities to create a culture of competence and awareness.
My question is what happens when this all blows over within the next couple of weeks? We’ve become predictable as a people. We rant and rave about injustice but then when the dust settles, we return to accepting poor treatment until the next murder of a black person by a white cop makes national news. Then we return to protesting, making hashtags, posting RIP etc. This has to stop. We need to be consistent and persistent in demanding better treatment in this country. I’m tired of it all. I really hope that this time it will be different and that we will continue to fight for better treatment even after the police officers are convicted of murder (I’m claiming it).
Do you believe it’s important for blacks to have allies in other communities? How are you taking care of yourself during such a trying time?
I’m disappointed in the silence from the non-black mental health professionals and school psychologists who I know. Is it too much to ask to show that you care about your black colleagues or care about the black community to whom you service? I understand that many non-blacks may not know what to say or what to do during a time like this but I don’t think that is a fair excuse to continue to use, especially since this is not the first time this country has experienced a time like this. This was the same response in 2014 when Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Missouri. I could name many other times this has happened but that time in particular stands out in my mind because I remember I had the same exact feeling of rage and disappointment. When will we come together to educate others about race, privilege, and riots? How long will the excuse of, “I don’t know what to say” be acceptable? How much more needs to happen before you finally educate yourself and be open enough to have those tough conversations? Enough is enough. I have seen some non-blacks speaking out but it has been very few from my perspective.
I had an encounter on social media in which a follower asked me why do we need non-blacks to speak out and what good would that do? To be honest that question confused and irritated me especially since it came from a black man. What needs to be understood is that white supremacy, white privilege, and systemic racism exist and the communities most impacted are black and brown people. The reality is that white voices are heard and white tears are seen in this country. This has been proven time and time again in our history. Black people are not taken seriously and are often villainized in this country. I could go on and on about this but I’ll leave it there for now.
I’m tired. Black people as a whole are exhausted. It’s draining and difficult being the victim and the problem-solver at the same time. It would be ideal that as we heal as a people to be able to pass the baton to true allies and advocates of other communities to create a culture of competence and awareness.
My question is what happens when this all blows over within the next couple of weeks? We’ve become predictable as a people. We rant and rave about injustice but then when the dust settles, we return to accepting poor treatment until the next murder of a black person by a white cop makes national news. Then we return to protesting, making hashtags, posting RIP etc. This has to stop. We need to be consistent and persistent in demanding better treatment in this country. I’m tired of it all. I really hope that this time it will be different and that we will continue to fight for better treatment even after the police officers are convicted of murder (I’m claiming it).
Do you believe it’s important for blacks to have allies in other communities? How are you taking care of yourself during such a trying time?
"Then we return to protesting, making hashtags, posting RIP etc. This has to stop." I love this statement. We post and post but what else are we doing???
ReplyDeleteExactly! I love my people but we need to do better. We need a plan of action.
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