Listen y’all, I’m pissed. If you are not aware, today is the 26th birthday of Ahmaud Arbery. On February 23, 2020, whilst on a run, Ahmaud’s life was taken from him in the most gruesome and horrific way. This IS a tragic loss for the black community and should be taken as a tragic loss across ALL communities. This is a man, a person, who was shot for exercising. If you aren’t black, can you picture this? Can you picture your dad, brother, or boyfriend leaving the house to go for a run and never seeing them again because they were hunted down and shot? Would you feel angry or can you even imagine how that feels? Do you even worry about it? Because I do.
Over the past few days I have had many feelings about this and how it takes a toll on everything I’ve been thinking about in terms of my life and future. The first thing that comes to mind is my future family. I want nothing more in this world than to be a mom someday. The idea of giving my love and passion to a child that I bore is the dream. I think about it every single day, but that feeling goes from happy/hopeful to extremely fearful. I am absolutely terrified because no matter who I have a child by, that child will still be black. What happened to Ahmaud could happen to my child or husband or maybe even me.
I am scared to bring a child into this world because of the ignorance and racism that exists.
I am scared to be in love with a black man because he could easily be next.
I shouldn’t feel like this on a daily basis.
I have a brother. My brother likes to exercise, hang out with his friends, play video games, go to his job, and drive around. My brother likes to be a 17-year-old boy. My brother is a black boy. My brother is also my friend, my aggravator, my blood, and my mother’s son. He is the weirdest, most annoying, and least harmful person on the face of the planet, and every time something like Ahmaud’s case shows up in my news feed (because it’s more often than it should), I think of my brother. That is a piece of my heart, walking around, being a kid who could be gunned down for striking fear in the eyes of ignorance. THAT is maddening and frightening.
Let’s get one thing straight. These are people. Different colors, yes, but still people. You don’t have to be black to see or understand that. And for the people who are telling black people to stop being so mad and that we need to “get over it,” you should be ashamed. You should be ashamed that these are people who could easily be your classmates, friends, co-workers. These are people that are being gunned down because the color of their skin is different. They are viewed as a threat. As a white person, how angry or hurt would you feel if you were constantly viewed as a threat? If people clenched their purses when you look at them while walking, if all you heard was car doors locking when you are going to the store, if you were being followed in a store? How would you feel? You cannot say that you wouldn’t be hurt or annoyed because YOU are being targeted and stereotyped due to fear, ignorance, and obvious racism. Educate yourself. If you are not a person of color, you can still advocate. If you love people, YOU need to advocate. No one should be scared to walk outside or go to the store and not know if they were going to make it home.
Not all people are bad. Not all cops are bad. But what is bad is what happened to Ahmaud Arbery, Oscar Grant, Botham Jean, Trayvon Martin, Jordan Edwards, Alton Sterling, and several other young black men around the country. What is bad is the stereotypes and preconceived notions that surround black men and the black community. What’s bad is the lack of conversation and education. That is what is bad. Don’t just send your condolences and pray for these families. Put yourselves in the shoes of the mother, father, sister, or brother who have to live with this feeling of fear every time they wake up in the morning. Do better.
May all these men rest in peace. I will do everything I can to serve our community in your honor.
You make some excellent points, but when the race hustlers like Sharpton/Jackson/et al co opt the narrative and use it for their pulpit, the 'little people' lose their voices. Thankfully, there are more honest blacks coming out as speakers who are honest brokers, like Kenn Blanchard, Rick Ector, and others. Stay the course.
ReplyDeleteOldNFO
ReplyDeleteMost people just want to live their lives, and should be able to.