Black and brown communities are disproportionately being attacked by two viruses — COVID-19 and systematic racism.
I felt myself going down a spiral as I watched the gut-wrenching video of George Floyd’s life drain from his body as a police officer kneeled on his neck. My heart broke as I sat on my couch watching Minneapolis go up in flames as protestors clash with police. But I understood. This was a community’s response to a systematic problem of police violence against black and brown people.
I held my youngest close as I thanked God my oldest was laying in her bed. Then I remembered Breonna Taylor was killed while asleep in what was supposed to be the safety of her home. My thoughts quickly flashed to Ahmaud Aubery who was gunned down while jogging in his neighborhood. Suddenly I was engulfed in the fear of what might happen if someone in the slightest felt threatened by the blackness of my daughters.
As a parent, you fear your children growing up and going out into the ugly world. But that fear magnifies knowing that you can’t shield your children from all the dangers awaiting them, especially, that of their own skin color.
I always try my best to be a source of encouragement and inspiration. But it’s hard to bring hope and encouragement when you are overwhelmed with gut-wrenching emotions: sadness, exhaustion, fear, frustration, and anger.
There is a crisis in America: COVID-19 and racism are wreaking havoc. Black and brown communities are disproportionately being attacked by a virus and by the very same people who swore to protect us. People are in a state of desperation expressing their grievances due to justice being delayed and denied. Martin Luther King Jr said, “a riot is the language of the unheard.” And so a community cries out…Are you hearing us now?
If you frequent this online space then you already know that I’m never worried about whether talking politics might damage my reputation. Yes, I love sharing communications and lifestyle topics, but I am also a black woman with a voice and perspective. America is on fire, and as much as I love her…She has a deep problem when it comes to systematic inequality.
There is a lot of talk about Allyship — a concept defined as recognizing and standing in solidarity with anyone who experiences oppression. However, the hardest part of allyship is standing in solidarity due to risk aversion. Many would like to be allies, but they are unable to fulfill the duties allyship requires.
I know this is an uncomfortable conversation, and many may not be sure how to respond. Maybe you’re scared to say the wrong thing, and so you remain quiet. But staying silent is more powerful than you know. Staying silent is also being complicit.
It is times like now that we all must stand together in solidarity. No matter what color of the rainbow you are, we must all be agents that inspire the consciousness of others. The question then is not whether you are “not racist” but rather are you “actively anti-racist?” What are your aligned actions (beliefs, movements, and policies) adopted or developed to oppose racism? Because being an ally does not mean you are not racist, or that fully understand what a marginalized individual feels. It means you acknowledge your privilege and take action to educate yourself and take on the struggle as your own.
So how are you taking action to be an anti-racist ally?
