Times are very strange as we accept the third month of quarantine due to the global health pandemic COVID 19. We find ourselves experiencing a double whammy of mixed emotions as we battle a much older pandemic... RACISM. I am no stranger to racism wether it be experiencing it directly or indirectly. However I am new to this whole new world where racism is being acknowledged globally. It feels very odd to hear the voices of white people and non black people of color whom of which never speak on it normally be so loud and expressive. To watch mass crowds of non black people in the streets acknowledging something so vehemently. To watch companies that directly benefit from black culture be silent. To witness white people purposely create dangerous situations on the front lines of this movement. To reading PR spun posts by celebrities with biracial children that read even more insincere than they are. It all feels so very mind-blowing. I have been alive for almost 32 years and I have experienced the reality of racism each second of that time. Wether it was in the delivery room giving birth to my daughter and a white nurse ignored my cries and dangled the life of my unborn and myself in the air or when I was questioned by a passenger who wanted to know what seat number I had on my ticket because I was sitting in first class on a flight to Hawaii. So with these facts my question is... HOW TF COULD SOMETHING SO OBVIOUS BE IGNORED SO LONG? What was the breaking point in George Floyd's death that flipped the coin onto its head? For over 400 years black people have been oppressed. 400 YEARS! So in 2020 the conversation that most people have blissfully ignored for centuries is now trending everywhere even trickling down to an organization that fired a black man for his activism, yet can post an official statement and align with the very same movement. Blackness is once again being capitalized by the very people whom have capitalized from everything single aspect of our lives. Our movement has been hijacked by "allies". These "allies" collectively have ignored this movement for generations and have steeped in their privilege for even longer. White guilt is a powerful resource in this moment. Non black people are using their platforms to feature black creators at an all time high and sharing their whitewashed realities of "not realizing" just how bad racism is. It makes me wonder how sincere these gestures are and wether or not its wrong or not to accept these offers as a form of reparations. We've seen videos of non black people starting riots against real protesters wishes. Even watched them encourage looting and dress to the nines with a protest sign as a prop for photos ops and we. are. fucking. exhausted.
Blackness is the new black.