I am a young black woman and I am afraid. It seems that every time I turn on the television, I see the face of some black man or woman taken before their time at the hands of hateful individuals. I am afraid because it seems like the judicial system is more concerned with protecting these hateful individuals from the consequences of their actions than it is with fighting for justice for the slain innocents.
I am a young black woman and I am afraid. I am afraid that one day, my friends and I will be pulled over by law enforcement, and my parents will get a call stating that under mysterious circumstances, I have passed away.
I am a young black woman and I am afraid. I am afraid not only for myself, but for my friends...young black men and women. I am afraid that one day I will turn on the television, and it will be the face of someone I know and love staring back me during a report on another case of brutality and violence by those sworn to protect us.
I am a young black woman and I am afraid. I am afraid because as much as I want to, I cannot and do not trust those whose sworn duty is to serve and protect me. That's not right...it's not right that my heart starts beating faster in fear whenever I lay eyes on them. It is not right that I would rather suffer in silence than approach those individuals for help.
I am a young black woman and I am afraid. I am afraid to raise black children because I fear for their lives .I am afraid that one day, my heart will shatter and I will be consumed by the pain felt by the mothers of Trayvon, Freddie, Sandra, Mike, Alton, Philando and countless others. There is a reason why there is no word for a parent who looses a child because that pain is unspeakable and never ending, and there is no word adequate enough to sum up such an atrocity.
I am a young black woman and I am afraid. I am afraid that the next name on a poster screaming for justice will be mine. I am afraid that it will be my best friend's name, the name of someone I hold dear, the name of yet another innocent whose blood has been shed because of the color of their skin.
I am a young black woman and I am afraid. I am afraid that someone will look at me, they will look at the color of my skin and they will end my life because they cannot abide by the strength and confidence associated with the color of my skin.
I am a young black woman and I am afraid. I am afraid because there is no end in sight to the senseless violence and bloodshed. I am afraid that even when I am dead and gone, generations of young black men and women will still be afraid to step outside of their homes, least they be cut down where they stand.
I am a young black woman and I am tired of being afraid.
