Screw the police

Seriously. Screw them. The Dallas shooting does void police brutality issue going on in our nation. As someone who grew up in South Central, police officers were never too far away. Driving slowly through neighborhoods, giving black and brown people suspicious looks, or going through a person's home without a search warrant. Yes, it’s sad that five officers lost their lives but my sympathy does not start there nor does it end there. Before those five white officers were killed, numerous black men died-three in two days. Those officers were killed by a black man, a desperate, black man upset seeing people who look like him get killed everyday. The death of those five officers was a wasteful killing but it was also a message-one that says that black and brown people are tired.

What does this person have to say

The next thing I do is look up what social activists are saying online. My favorites include-Kat Blaq, The Love of the Asian Men, Jesse Williams, and Trevor Noah.

I totally agree

I have a lot of opinionated friends on social media and it was a joy to scroll thru my facebook and read their posts. They ranged from pain to irony pointing out the hypocrisy behind our institutions.

Screw white supremacy

It’s white supremacy that makes my white “friends” on facebook not post about the murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. It’s white supremacy that allows black men to be shot by white officers without our federal government stepping in.

Being black is so hard

And then I feel how overbearing it is to be black. Don’t get me wrong, being black to me has always been a gift. I come from a community that’s created and spearheaded the very culture that makes America unique and it’s own. I come from a community of displaced people that made it work. I love collard greens and sweet potatoes. I love my hair. I especially love my skin-it’s dark and beautiful. But me loving my people and who I am is not going to stop the unjust killings. Me loving who I am isn’t going to stop that store clerk from following me around. Me loving black men isn’t going to stop the growing incarceration rate of black and brown men. To watch your people fight for validation, power, and love-is to be in a constant state of madness and emotional turmoil. Which brings me to..

I wish I could travel to…

Canada. Yeah, Canadians are portrayed as losers and too sensitive by our media but at least they don’t kill black people in traffic stops, while walking, or selling cigarettes. Yeah, I’ll look up how much it cost to fly to Canada. That's right, I'll look up the travel costs and...

Ohhh...nevermind.

Time to uplift

I turn on “Formation” by Beyonce and dance in front of the mirror because white supremacy will not destroy me. In fact, it’s a lost war. White supremacy says white police officers can kill black and brown people without consequences. When acts like this happen all it does is unite the community and helps us remember that we have to keep fighting. White supremacy at the end of the day will fail-it will never be stronger than blackness. Ever. White supremacy didn’t stop Shonda Rhimes from owning an entire night on television. White supremacy did not stop Loretta Lynch from becoming Attorney General of the United States, and it didn’t stop Barack Obama from securing the most powerful position in our nation.

Being annoyed by vacation post by your white friends

It is the silence of those we love that tells us where we stand. Luckily, I have yet to scroll thru my newsfeed and see white people saying all lives matter-I unfriended those long ago. But I have been reading posts and having conversations with people of color who do have white friends posting party pics. To them I say sorry and suggest hitting that unfriend button.

Revenge

Revenge is a natural response. It’s programmed into us to fight against anything that seeks to harm us. But revenge isn’t going to do anything, it isn’t going to help anyone, it will only help white supremacy impact your life emotionally.

Fighting against desensitization

When I first heard about Alton Sterling’s murder, I immediately waved it off to protect myself. However, the more I went on social media, the harder it was to ignore the murder. While traveling to my internship, I saw black men going about their daily lives and cried. I cried because I was afraid that something would happen to them. I’d rather cry upon hearing about a member of my community dying than be okay with it. The minute we become okay with it is the same minute white supremacy prevails.

Logging off