I know I try to keep it light and airy around here, but I also feel a responsibility to use my tiny little platform of a couple hundred followers for good, so I hope you stick with me. Recent events have once again sparked outrage around the country, and I find myself wondering why this is still happening. And if I’m over here wondering, don’t you think black people have perhaps had enough? One in one thousand black men and boys will die at the hands of police officers. There are about six times as many white people in this country than black, so mathematically speaking, with all things being fair, if thirty-one black men were killed by police so far in 2020, then 186 white men should have been killed. How outraged does that number make you? Well don’t worry, that number is not even close to reality. The actual number is only forty-two. I would venture to say that it’s just a tad disproportionate. I have friends and neighbors that are police officers. (If you’re in law enforcement and that sentence rang hollow to you, imagine how black people feel when someone tells them they have a black friend). They are amazing human beings and bring a lot of good to the world, but racism and prejudice is so ingrained into everyday life, that I imagine it’s hard for them to even see it. We’re not perfect, but we can do a better job at looking inside ourselves, checking our white privilege and recognizing our behaviors in order to do better.
While I feel that I have always been an ally, I realize that I can be louder and more obnoxious. There are seminars, podcasts, books and articles that can help educate the masses and I strongly encourage all white folks to take an active role in unburdening our minds of ignorance. For the first seven years of my life, I lived in the outskirts of Atlanta and was one of two white people in my kindergarten class. To say that I didn’t see color is an understatement and also a huge feat to accomplish while living with my adorable, albeit slightly racist grandfather. Upon moving to a more rural area in upstate New York, I was shocked by how everyone looked the same, but soon enough it became the norm and I had to re-train my brain all over again in college. But, I put in the work, and that’s all that matters. Now, I see color, and that’s a good thing.
From Rodney King, to Tamir Rice, to Michael Brown, nothing that is happening right now is either shocking or unexpected. Black people have been begging for justice for over four hundred years and they have yet to be listened to. Eric Garner was placed in an illegal choke-hold by an officer in Staten Island, New York for selling illegal cigarettes. Freddie Gray’s neck was broken while he was being transported in a van by police who managed to restrain his arms and legs, but failed to put a seat belt on him. Alton Sterling was killed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for selling movies and music on discs. Philando Castile was shot in a car in Falcon Heights, Minnesota while a woman and child were in the car with him. The list goes on and on, not limited to ending with Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. We are kidding ourselves if we think these deaths would have occurred in their pigment challenged counterparts. It’s beyond time to riot. If this happened to my kid, I would burn the whole fucking city down, and so would you.
Before you say that destroying property is not the answer, please ask yourself if you were also upset when Colin Kaepernick began a movement of kneeling peacefully to protest police brutality against black men. Oh, you didn’t like that either? Well, what exactly would please you? Spoiler alert: Black people do not have to conform to whatever bullshit form of protest that white people deem acceptable. They’ve tried it all and have thus far been unheard. They do not have to be obedient, especially when a bunch of white idiots can’t be bothered to comply to put a piece of cloth over their face for the fifteen minutes they’re in a store. There is constant talk amongst white dudes about rising up to overthrow an unjust government with all their guns and weird racist flags. Well, what in God’s name do you think it is that’s happening here? For fuck’s sake, I’ve seen white people riot over losing a hockey game. We’re talking about the systematic killing of an entire race of people. They are angry. They are frustrated. They want someone to listen. By degrading their means of getting everyone’s attention, you are detracting from their message. By saying “All Lives Matter” in response to “Black Lives Matter” you are quickly dismissing their plight, one that we do not share. It is theirs and you need to let them have it.
White people, just stop it. You’re being ridiculous. Do something that will actually help. Crying about protests on social media is not helping. Join in the fight and be on the right side of history. I’ll see you at the next protest.
Let's Be Dramatic 