We are living in a time where we are experiencing some of the most racial tension that I have seen in my lifetime. In addition to trying to navigate through the pandemic, loss of life, the inability to give your family a proper farewell, the loss of jobs, the absence of human touch, we have to deal with the increased murders of our black men and black boys. What I have realized over these last few months is there is a huge breakdown in UNDERSTANDING between the Black community and the rest of the world. I am certain many people on various platforms have said this countless times before but I am going to say some of it again with the hopes that you will listen with your heart and not your preconceived notions.
BLACK LIVES MATTER is not a declaration of war. We are not saying that you don’t matter. We just want to matter too. There have been countless cases where people of color were treated unfairly simply because of the color of our skin. We are not all criminals. We are not all on welfare and looking for a hand out. The great majority of us are hard working law abiding citizens that simply want what’s fair. If you can buy a house at 4% interest, if we have the same credit score we want the same 4%. If you can be pulled over and be given the benefit of the doubt by officers we want that same benefit. It was our ancestors that were stolen from their homes and brought here to be prisoners. So when you tell us to go back where you came from we have no idea where that is. America is what we have and Americans are who we are. We matter. If you look at us and instantly become defensive you need to ask yourself why because it's a ‘you’ issue not an “us” issue.
I know this may be hard to believe for some of you but GOD LOVES US TOO. God is not exclusive to White people. God created us all and we all look exactly how he intended for us to look. You are not better than us because your skin is lighter. God is a God of love and unity. He commands that we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Guess what that’s us. Would you put your knee on your brothers neck and suffocate him until he’s dead? Pretend George Floyd was white, the excuses and the justifications that have been spewed would not have happened. It shouldn’t matter what skin you're wrapped in you have the right to live in peace and not worry about if you are going to die that night because you encountered the wrong police officer. Treat us that way God treats you; with love and compassion and understanding.
USE YOU PRIVILEGE FOR GOOD. Whether you have privilege or not is not the question. You do we all know it exists. But instead of using if to hold people down or hold them back why not use it to speak about injustices? Why not use it to give people of color opportunities that they are working hard for but keep getting looked over. Why not use it to effect some real change in the world. Many doors are open to you simply because you are white. That's just the fact of the matter. Because we haven’t advanced as far as you have doesn’t mean we aren’t working hard. We have to work twice as hard to get what you don’t have to work for at all. Use your leverage for good. Use your compassion and give us a fighting chance.
WE DIDN’T INVENT RIOTS. Riots are a result of civil unrest. When people feel like they aren’t being listened to. Rioting dates back as far as the start of this country. When our forefathers were trying to gain independence from the British, they revolted. Black America is revolting against the unfair prison sentences, the murder of our sons and daughters, and our husbands and fathers. We are tired of being treated like second class citizens. We are here and we are going to be here and we will continue to fight for what is rightfully ours; BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS.
WE ARE MORE ALIKE THAN YOU THINK. Do you know what we want? We want to be
able to work and provide for our families and offer our children a better life than what we may have had. We want our kids safe. We want to be loved and give love in return. Yes we may have some differences in our political views but I think if you took the time to sit down and talk to us you would realize even some of those aren’t that different. All of us aren’t criminals in the same way all of you aren’t law abiding citizens. Black people commit crime, White people commit crime, Mexicans commit crime, Asians commit crime. I realize your idea of us is skewed because the mass media puts all of ours on the forefront. Those are stereotypes that are unfair to us. We can disagree and not show hate. We can have different opinions and not want to kill each other. We are all humans that were created in the image of God and he loves us all and we have the right to live!!
The truth is you need to face and come to terms with your prejudices. Ask yourself is my hate based on facts and personal experience or is it based on hate speech and fear tactics. Then think about the black people you have personally encountered, what was the experience like? Was it a pleasant experience? I encourage you to sit with your ideologies. Do some personal evaluations and check yourself on what you have contributed to the division of this country. Let's work together to really make America great.
Nicely done 💞💯🧡