This is an issue I have wanted to address for quite a while, but honestly… I’m a little terrified to. I’ve listened to many talks on the subject of race and have asked loads of questions… shoot, I’ve even taken a class on it, but still I don’t feel like I have adequate knowledge or experience to voice my opinion.
Yet, something broke my heart the other day. As I looked through my Facebook feed, I noticed a comment on an article from a random older woman saying, “Please keep all Black Lives Matter ads off of my newsfeed” and I thought to myself… why?
People try to say that racism is no longer a major thing in America… or if it is then it's based on the feelings of individuals and not a systematic issue since it has “gotten better” over the last decades.
That comment lit a fuse in me.
And yes, I know it seems little and that there are much more tragic events happening than a stupid Facebook comment… but it’s that general mindset swarming America. “Please keep all Black Lives Matter ads off my newsfeed.”
My problem is, I don’t even really know what to say. I’m a young, white woman who grew up in a middle class family. To say I was privileged is probably an understatement. This last year I’ve said over and over to myself that I don’t want to be ignorant about this issue because it is REAL and HAPPENING and there’s only a handful of people doing anything about it.
I don’t want to throw out my opinion without substance behind it. I don’t want to say something in ignorance that just adds to the racism problem because there are way too many people already doing that. There’s this generational racially biased mindset that has been passed down that people are not even aware they possess.
Do all lives matter? Of course. God created each individual with a unique purpose in mind. None greater than the other. BUT that’s not the point.
The Black Lives Matter Movement is not saying that all lives do not matter. They are addressing the issue at hand. If there are three buildings and only one of them is on fire, would you spray the other two buildings that are not on fire? No, that wouldn’t make sense because that’s not where the problem lies.
I keep asking myself, “What can I do?” “Is there anything that will actually make a difference?” Truthfully, I don’t know… but I think there are many who are thinking these same questions. They don’t know what to do or say, so they don’t do anything.
In a recent article by Eric Johnson, he talks about the old adage "ignorance is bliss" and put into context in this day and age it should be more like "ignorance is stupid and it's killing people." It’s easy to be passive. I’m guilty. But I’ve realized, we have to keep talking about the race issue. We have to keep asking questions even if sometimes we ask dumb ones. You might feel small in the midst of massive injustice, but change starts with awareness.
I want to be educated. I want to keep asking questions and listening, actually listening. So please, keep all Black Lives Matters ads on my newsfeed.
