Just Some Thoughts about Current Events

Last night I did a thing. I went to a Black Lives Matter protest. A local person organized it, so I decided to go. It was pretty peaceful. It was really nice to see so many people show up in support of the movement, it made me feel less alone. The last few weeks have been rough. Hearing people I know and care about saying that they are tired of hearing about Black Lives Matter. Having people constantly tell me that "All Lives Matter." Okay. Well, fun fact. I know that all lives matter. Most of us know that all lives matter. But historically, black people, and other people of color, have not been treated as if our lives matter nearly as much as white people's. If people of color were treated equally, we wouldn't have to emphasize that black lives matter, too. It hurts when people try to invalidate my feelings, by telling me, "white people get killed too." Yes, true, but for the most part they don't get killed specifically because they are white. This is something a lot of my white friends have been educating themselves about. A lot of them have been educating themselves and learning how to be better allies, and better people, and I think that's awesome. I am so grateful to them for that. Racism is terrible. Some people like to think that racism doesn't exist here, in Libby, MT, but I can tell you from personal experience that racism is alive and well here. And I know some will disagree with this, but black people need white people to fight alongside us in this. A lot of my white friends are, and for that I am grateful. Some think that black people should be happy for the rights that we already have. I wrote a blog post, almost three years ago, that is still relevant today. I wish that it wasn't still relevant but it is. Here is the link to that if you want to read it. https://jazzyintheuk.blogspot.com/2017/08/fire-burns-brighter-in-darkness.html

Talking about these things makes some people uncomfortable, but it's like Desmond Tutu said, "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality." So basically, if you are tired of hearing about Black Lives Matter, join the fight. Fight alongside us, because the sooner black people stop being treated unfairly simply because we are black, which, by the way, is not something we can control, then the sooner you get to stop hearing about it. It's really that simple.