The struggles of being Black

“If you get pulled over keep your hands on the wheel don’t reach for anything,” “be sure to record anything suspicious,” “Black lives matter.”

These are all sayings that are not simply just stated within the African-American community, but rules among many deemed as mechanisms to help stay alive in America. Typically, it is a result of food deprivation, water poisoning, etc. preventing the people of other countries from surviving, however, in America it is simply driving while black, walking while black, running white black, playing with a toy gun while black, smoking while black, and the list goes on, in which an African-American person could lose their life. All in result of having more pigmentation than what’s deemed as “normal”. It’s despairing when the only thing portrayed on TV, Facebook, Instagram, any form of media it’s another one of my brothers or sisters being used as target practice every other day. This isn’t the first time in history for these occurrences, and unfortunately, it probably won’t be the last. It continues to be a daily based struggle for black people to merely survive, yet this is not conveyed as a problem. Instead, citizens like to overlook the problems occurring in their home but spread their riches elsewhere, or worse, they ridicule the fact that we as a people struggle to find an identity amongst so much animosity. Much like the North Dakota University students that wore black face masks while hashtagging Black lives matter. Or the many police officers that have been rewarded for the deaths of innocent young black men. It makes one wonder how much of a melting pot could America be if the only openly accepted image is a straight blonde haired, blue eyed person with fair skin?

Pro-Black is not Anti-white

When I raise my fist in the air, displaying that I’m proud of my people and all that we’ve overcome, despite the efforts put forth to subdue our race, I am merely conveying that I embrace all that comes along with being black. However, I am not degrading being White. Because my community is screaming Black Lives Matter doesn’t mean all lives don't matter; however by expressing all lives matter, when I say this completely negates the point of black lives mattering. You know that feeling you get when you try to explain a concept to someone but all they can do is relate the subject back to them; therefore, they completely miss the significant concept? Well, that is how the subject of black lives matters feels when having to be explained. The entire concept is more than just Black and White.

White Privilege

I wonder what it’s like to wake up and not be reminded that you’re black. From my name, hair, style, physical feature, etc. I am constantly reminded that I am not the standard. I remember there was a point in my life where I wanted to be white. Not because I thought they were a superior race but because I thought “wow how nice to be able to function as a norm instead of an alien in society." To have to work twice as hard as my caucasian friend beside me in which doubtlessly was assumed to be intelligent, whereas I felt a need to prove myself. White Privilege is the capability to merely be taught about racism instead of enduring it your entire life.