Racism is still very real in our society and will remain real until we acknowledge it and change our behavior. Racism and prejudice in our nation are not a thing of the past. I will say that over and over until I am blue in the face if you try to argue with me. If you say or believe in any of the following four things, I'm probably going to assume you're racist:
1. You put down the Black Lives Matter movement and claim that it is racist.
Let's get real here. The Black Lives Matter movement is not some war on white people. You're honestly probably just pissed because, for once, the attention isn't all on you. I get it, I used to get mad when I didn't get enough attention, too... but then my sixth birthday came around. I heard a really good explanation of the BLM movement. A whole neighborhood block is on fire and people are trying to get out of their homes and save their loved ones. Everyone is getting out safely, but the fire in one house is too strong for one family. They can't get out of their burning home, so the focus is on saving these people because they are the ones in trouble. Everyone else is safe, they don't need the help right now. Just because the BLM movement isn't about you, doesn't mean it's racist. People are being murdered and your concern is that you're being cut out of a movement for equal treatment? Fine, we'll put your safety and rights on the back burner and leave them back there and you'll have your equal treatment.
2. "Give us our guns!"
Yeah, okay you can have your guns when you stop complaining when an African American man wants one, too. Why do you all of a sudden have a huge issue with guns as soon as he's allowed to carry? Why is it wrong for him to have one, when a White man can have one too? Why do you say, "He shouldn't be allowed to carry that" if you are? You can't sit there and make the argument that a Black man shouldn't have had a gun and the police wouldn't have shot him if he didn't have it and then turn around and say you want the right to have one in your back pocket.
3. "Poussey died on OITNB!"
Should I have tagged that spoiler? That happened months ago. If you didn't already know, then that's your problem. You'll get over it. An African American character dies in a movie or TV show and you've got tears running down your face, but when two African American men are killed, in real life, when an unarmed man is killed, also in real life, where you at? If "All Lives Matter," why don't theirs? Because people die every day? Because it wasn't your brother or son who was murdered? That was a damn character. These are real people. People whose children will never see them again. People with real families who will never hug them again. If all lives matter, why don't you act like it?
4. "I know what it feels like to be discriminated against because people discriminate me for my tattoos."
I'm not touching this one... Seriously? I seriously saw this on Facebook. I wish I was kidding. Lord, I wish I was kidding.
If you think racism is over, really if you think prejudice, in general, doesn't exist you are sadly mistaken. You can keep chanting, "All Lives Matter" or "Blue Lives Matter." Here's the thing: you can take off a uniform. You can choose to get tattoos. You don't get to choose your race or ethnicity. You don't get to choose your sexual orientation. Yes, #AllLivesMatter, but not everyone's lives are at risk at once. There are certain populations that are on this back burner and have been burning there for quite some time. We've taken our eyes off the stove top and we're letting them burn without taking a second glance.
To anyone who has ever been discriminated against: I don't know what you're going through, but I promise I'm here for you.
