People are upset about what’s going on across America. While many of us do not agree with the riots, we choose to understand. For those who choose not to understand, I see many people addressing them, hoping to help them understand. They say things like, “You’re missing the bigger picture,” “Your priorities aren’t straight,” “You have no understanding,” “You’re missing the point” etc., etc. No, don’t get it twisted. A lot of these people, white people, who are saying, “Riots won’t bring back George Floyd,” “How do you expect to win the argument if you’re rioting,” or “How do you expect change if you’re not protesting peacefully” know what they are doing. People who are more outraged about the riots than the life that was taken know exactly what they are doing. They understand. They DO see the bigger picture, and they are NOT missing the point.
Some people will always find an excuse to remain biased. Some of these people are the same people who put so much trust in the government and in law enforcement. These are the same people who do not want to believe racism still exists. They are the same people who have put so much faith in a system that works for them. They do not want their biased ways to be challenged. These people are actively searching for a reason to remain biased, so they can continue to believe what they believe, have faith in what they have faith in, and trust what and who they trust.
They do not want to believe that someone that looks like them could have done something so horrible. That’s why so many white people say things like, “I need to hear the full story first,” “Well, there must have been a good reason that the officer shot that unarmed man,” “There has to be a good reason those police officers went into that woman’s house unannounced and killed her.” These people are searching for reasons to justify the actions of their racist white peers because they cannot deal with facing the truth.
Racism still exists. Your grandpa, your dad, your grandma, your mom, your peers, and that “fellow friendly” white police officer that comes to your family get-togethers, that shows you the most respect, and is someone your children look up to, just might be racist. You just don’t want to believe it. This is something many white people do not want to believe or come to grips with. They would much rather focus on the riots than the actions of the white cop they once believed in and trusted.
What’s happening in Minnesota, LA, etc., is a result of people being tired of not being heard. This concept isn’t any different from those irate PETA protesters who were tired of not being taken seriously or heard. As a result, they vandalized buildings where companies do drug testing on animals. This concept isn’t any different from the mob of animal rights protesters that went around harassing families that were at the lake fishing. And let’s not forget about the people that threw paint on people who wear real fur.
We can even see this same concept in people’s everyday lives. The child that continues to try to be heard but acts out when he or she isn’t. The wife that finally snaps and burns his clothes because he refuses to hear her. Women and men put up with not being heard for years in their everyday lives whether they are not heard by their spouse, parent, boss, school, their job, etc.
You, who are reading this, have most likely had to deal with not being heard in some sort of way. Now imagine a group of people who have been silenced for many years. Imagine a group of people who live in a country whose peers refuse to acknowledge them their whole life because they do not want their beliefs to be challenged. We are not talking about one or two years of Black people not being heard. We’re talking over 400 years’ worth of voiceless people. And when one of us is finally heard for a slight moment, we are silenced by death. This country is built on so many lies. How would you honestly feel?
Those of you who choose to be more outraged by the riots and not the history behind the riots, over 400 years worth of history, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. Those of you who choose to overlook the bigger picture, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. You, who choose not to understand, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. You, who see the riots as a justification for what has been happening to Black people, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. Those of you who try to bring up Black on Black crimes or say all lives matter, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING, and you know it’s wrong.
You just choose to remain biased because you are afraid to face the demons of your family’s history — the same demons they left you with. When it is clear as day that your “fellow-friendly” white police officer, family member, peer, or friend is wrong, you actively look for ways to remain blind to the things you see but do not want to see or believe.
This is not a Black thing. This is a matter of what is right and what is wrong. If you’re tired of hearing about racism, then do something about it. Check your racist peers. Call them out. Be the voice/light in your family, among your peers, and in every other place our voices are not heard. If you do not want to do that, when we fight, be quiet. This discussion doesn’t concern you.
Love,
Jaz
Loving
Yourself
Is
Beautiful
