What a time to be alive. 2020 has been a lot and unfortunately it seems like things are progressively getting worse; I can only imagine how difficult it has been for the optimists this year. As if Miss Corona wasn’t enough despair (Lord help us), Miss Amerikkka (she’s bold with it but she’s not alone) continues to torture and kill her BLACK children prematurely. What is the problem? Where is the love?
I can’t begin to express how I feel about what’s going on in the world right now, my heart bleeds. I posted a few days ago a piece: “BLACK Lives Will Forever Matter”- A poem I wrote three years ago at the beginning of my writing journey. Back then, I was unsure I should post it since I wasn’t directly affected by the police brutality in America. O how young my thinking was; not fighting for the injustice of a people or person only helps solidify it, and this just wasn’t just about any people, this was about my people, BLACK people.
A few weeks ago, in England, we were exposed to another case where BLACK lives did not matter equally compared to others; Belly Mujinga’s life was shortened as a white corona patient intentionally spat on her and her BLACK colleague. She was not allowed leave by her employers although they knew she had underlying health conditions. With all the evidence-in-hand (as she was publicly assaulted at a train station which is heavily surveilled), the powers-that-be dissolved the case and no one has been held accountable. A BLACK woman left behind her a family, a daughter, a community.
You may not have reached your wit’s end, but most people have, and understandably so. It is evident the usual actions are not moving the oppressors enough; it’s only right more intense actions are taken. They may not care about us, so to get their attention BLACK people must touch what they care about. BLACK people have always got the short end of the stick when it comes to aid, what they need to thrive or even just survive. Peaceful protesters have been harmed in the process, almost to make a scape goat out of them, to deter BLACK people from standing up for themselves. I don’t have to go into all that, if you’ve really been paying attention such information won’t be hard to come by.
BLACK people have toiled, cried and been tried. Why can’t we be left alone? I personally have not experienced a fraction of what some BLACK people, especially Americans have witnessed; I can only imagine how tired they must be. Enough most certainly is enough, and at this point all plugs must be pulled. I see so many people (even some of our own people) turning their noses up at how BLACK people have chosen to protest, how they’ve chosen to get their voices heard. You may not have guts equal to some BLACK people as they express their anger in protest, but you should be grateful they are doing this for you, doing this for us. Stand up for BLACK people how you see fit, but at this point, as far as BLACK people are not taking any lives unprovoked while protesting, every action is warranted. It would be a pity if you waited too long to stand up for yourself or those you claim to love, and this kept on getting closer to home. BLACK people had to die for BLACK people now to be able to live the way we do now; even this standard of living, someone had to die for it to be possible. I don’t think people understand what is going on.
Four centuries, forty decades, four hundred years of torture, only for people to keep quiet when they see things blatantly going back to factory settings: it’s impossible. BLACK people need to wake up. Everyone needs to wake up. BLACK people need to recognise we are one people and something happening to our neighbour is something happening to all of us; now is a good time to read up on things you don’t understand and research impactful ways for change to commence. People have gone to war for far less, and you are confused as to why BLACK people are retaliating. If you really think what’s going on is unwarranted then you’ve been white-washed, you don’t understand the timeline of torture BLACK people have lived through.
I never fully understood people of other races who try to “correct” BLACK people when they state BLACK lives matter. If all lives matter the way you claim, why not support BLACK people in their protest, why not help equalise the worth of the BLACK life in the eyes of society? How do you sit and justify the slaughtering of people you think have the same value as you? Does it make any sense? Why do you want BLACK people to be silent about our BLACKness; the struggle you’ve made of it? Why must we always fade into the background to make you feel comfortable? Why are we barely ever taken seriously unless extreme actions are taken, in the workplace, in educational institutions, medically, in life? I keep capitalising BLACK because it almost seems like people shy away from the word so much; I would like to emphasize it and encourage others to do same. We, the BLACK people, just want to live, why is that so unspeakable?
I am truly exhausted; it must be even more exhausting for those directly affected by all these acts of cruelty. In our little ways we must help our BLACK brothers and sisters and stand up for what is right to make a change. All lives will only matter when BLACK lives matter. Speak up for the cause. Donate to the cause. Be part of the much-needed change BLACK people need. Be part of the much-needed change we all need.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
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