It's pretty self explanatory. So many people benefit from the systemic racism that this country was built on, but the only way to achieve true equality is to dismantle and reconstruct those systems. But so many people don't want to dismantle those systems that they continue to benefit from. So here we are.
Phrases that I am tired of hearing:
1. "All Lives Matter." While this is true, historically people of color have not been treated as if this is true. So yes. Technically true, but missing the point.
2. "Jesus ended the debate about which lives matter because he died for all." Again, true, but also missing the point.
3. "I don't care if people peacefully protest, but there is no excuse for the rioting." I mean, yeah, the rioting is horrible and sad, but rioting has been a part of pretty much every fight for equality since the beginning of this country, and even before. Such as, The Boston Tea Party. The Civil Rights Movement in the 60's. And also, people get mad at the ones who peacefully protest as well, such as....Colin Kaepernik. And a lot of other athletes. So basically, you get criticized if you protest peacefully, you get criticized if you riot. It's kind of a double edged sword, and while I don't condone destroying public property and violence, I kind of get it. I get how sometimes a person gets so angry that they want to destroy something. Sometimes I have wanted to destroy things. I haven't done that, but I have wanted to.
4. "I'm just tired of hearing about all of this stuff." Well, I am tired of living all of this stuff. I am tired of fighting the same fight that my ancestors were fighting hundreds of years ago. So basically, if you are tired of hearing all this stuff, take steps to educate yourself. I can provide a list of books to read, shows to watch, some other resources, but it's actually not my job to educate anyone, because right now, I am trying to keep my head above water.
5. "What's the point of destroying Confederate Statues? They are part of history." I mean, yes, the Confederacy is a part of our Nation's history, but the Confederate Statues and the Confederate Flag are symbols of treason and racism. I would love to see all the remaining statues and symbols of the Confederacy removed and put in a park somewhere out of the way. It could be a tourist attraction or something. I mean, you can learn about something without having monuments to traitors. Just my opinion.
6. "You can disagree with someone on something and still remain friends." Sometimes that is true. Like in the case of television shows. Or music. Or books. Or jello flavors. But if a person thinks that my life is worth less than theirs because of my skin color, or the fact that I'm a woman, or something like that, then actually, no, we can't stay friends.
7. "What about black on black crime?" What about it? I've never heard the phrase "White on white crime." It's almost like someone invented the phrase "black on black crime" to try to invalidate the struggles that black people go through. Which is actually probably what happened. It's gaslighting.
8. "But (Insert name of famous black person) said this in some interview that I saw." One black person does not speak for every single person. We all have different thoughts, and opinions and feelings about things.
9. "Have you ever thought that if you obey the law, the police will leave you alone?" Recent events, and also events of the past, have proven that this is not always true. Don't get me wrong. I support the police officers, I know that their jobs are high stress, and I know a lot of really good police officers, and I support them. But currently, the ones that are murdering people are bothering me.
I mean, I could go on, but I'm not going to. I'm just writing how I feel. It would be nice to live to see the day where we don't have to fight this fight anymore. I'm hoping that day comes sooner rather than later. This fight is exhausting. For real.
