There is so much that has been happening on social media lately and I have been contemplating on throwing in my 2 cents about how I feel but every time I try to write something, I get emotional and end up sliding my laptop to the side and covering myself under my bed covers. There is so much I am mad about, there is so much I want to talk about but I have come to realize that the reason why I am struggling to speak up these days is because literally everyone is talking about racism right now and it gets my heart heavy.
Do you know how bad the racism is in the US? I even forgot about the fact that we are in the middle of a pandemic. It’s so bad that people from all 50 states of the country plus other countries in the world too, are out there protesting. In the middle of a pandemic! A virus that’s easily spread by being around someone who has it! I am disgusted by the treatment of black people but I am also very happy that we are not backing down and we never will. Nonetheless, for now, I want to talk about one of the million things that get me fired up lately – white people saying that they don’t see color…
Some people justify that they aren’t racist by saying that they don’t see color and some say that not to mask any racism but because they genuinely love you despite your race. However, I, as a black person, find this so triggering because this has a deeper meaning for me. Saying that you do not see color implies that you do not see what black people are going through, it implies that we are all the same and we all share the same experiences because to you, we are all neutral.
As Jane Elliot says, “There is only one race, the human race,” and yes that’s correct but that’s not how it is right now. That’s the goal, that’s how we want things to be, we want to be treated equally. You cannot act blind to the fact that we aren’t treated equal based on our races. We cannot pretend as if we don’t know that a white person stands a better chance at having a good life and being successful and a black person has to work 13 times as hard to get the same opportunities, despite being smarter and/or more creative.
Don’t ignore the struggles that black people go through. Don’t ignore the fact that the only reason why we are going down like dominoes is merely because of our skin color. You don’t have to do anything wrong and you don’t have to carry anything with you to be seen as threat as a black person because our skin color is the weapon.
Also, don’t ignore the the privileges you have as a white person, choose to use them wisely by supporting black people and standing up against anyone who doesn’t see value in black people’s lives. Call your parents out and call your friends out when they say anything racist, educate yourself and educate them too.
Saying that you don’t see color won’t cut it for me, I need you to see it and know that black lives are in danger and that black lives matter. Fight for black people’s lives even after the protests die down.
That’s it for now,
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*sigh*