So as I normally do, I scrolled down my Facebook timeline to find an article stating that because Mrs. Obama (FLOTUS) was at Black Girls Rock that she was racist. That stirred all types of anger in my soul. It made me think about numerous things, so as you read this you may be offended. But being honest I don't care because I'm only telling the truth.
Imagine being a little black girl being raised that black isn't beautiful. That the lighter you are the more beautiful you are. "You have nappy hair." That you are beautiful if you have long flowing hair like white women. So you must perm your hair or sit in a salon all day to get weave stitched into your hair so you can look beautiful. Your natural look is not beautiful, so you must assimilate into what is beautiful. To be told your body is not beautiful, and to cover it up. The luxurious curves of your existence are said to be ugly, plump and nasty. These are some of the foolish things the black girls are told. Everything about their existence is a story of lesser than and not equal to. So to see Black women honored at a event called Black Girls Rock is amazing. Because it sets an example that all black girls rock whether you are short, tall, thick, skinny, light, or dark, you are all beautiful and you all have room for greatness. Sometimes this is the only chance to see messaging like this to encourage young black girls or women, and for our First Lady to be there is courageous and amazing, definitely not racist. She is a black woman who definitely rocks. Look at even her, most fashion critics say she is the most fashion forward First Ladies ever, yet you have others saying she looks like someone from Planet of the Apes. But it's ok to put black women down but to lift black women up , it's racist. Go figure!
In this time in our country, some say we are in a post racist era. Bullshit!!!! Every day we see black men treated just as we were in slave times, demeaned, beaten, and treated like we are lesser than. Our President haas done pretty much everything he promised to do before getting into office yet, he has been the one President that republicans have showed the most hatred and disrespect too in the last 100 years. Being totally honest, if his skin color was white we would not have as many issues about his nationality (whether he was born here or not), if The Affordable Care Act is effective and etc. literally, throughout the 20th century almost every president has tried to create a universal healthcare system. But it took a black man one year into office to get it done and of course now people are mad. Go figure. Obama has done everything to help the masses yet, mostly one group of people can't stand him because every time he says he will fix something and he does it is not of their liking. All I can say to that us have several seats.
I know this is a few weeks old but very poignant in my mind now. Shonda Rhimes cleverly recreated an episode loosely based around the incidents of Ferguson. In it was a racist cop, he said "you people are raised to see cops as the enemy, and yet I risk my life to walk a beat. That dozens of murders are blacks turning on another yet I'm the animal. "Brandon Parker is dead because he didn't have respect. Because those people out there crying over his body... Didn't teach him respect. He didn't respect me, he didn't respect my badge. Questioning my authority?! His blood is not on my hands!"
This was so profound and powerful to me because as I walk down the streets as a proud African American man I notice when I get certain stares. Or when I'm being followed or watched. I noticed when a certain persuasion of women grabbed their purse when I'm around. I've been that black man who was pulled over by police after leaving my lawyers office in my nice car, to be told get out of the car. Pushed onto my car, and being told to shut up as I tried to say let me call my lawyer. I've been that black man who was told because of the people I hang around I must be a criminal, yet you know nothing about me. When I speak intelligently and calmly you take it as a threat to your badge, yet it's me defending myself against crookedness. Historically, most mass murders are committed by almost every other race other than African Americans yet we are considered dangerous and thugs. When we walk down the street we are treated like crap, people forget the word excuse me, but we are said to be rude. Funny enough when I'm in the hood, black people are the first to say excuse me, or my fault compared to other races, but again yeah we are rude. Hmmmm! Again bull shit.
Looking at historical court cases against black individuals compared to white individuals. George Zimmerman who shot and killed a black young man was set free with no jail time yet Marissa Alexander who is a black woman shot into the air to try to break up a dispute with her husband faces twenty years in prison. Interesting how we are treated. When black people protest, we are called unruly, thugs, have no respect for the law. But after a football or basketball game when white folk tear cities up, flip cop cars over, break windows out of businesses they are said to just be kids having fun. Even looking at celebrities, Teresa and Joe Giudice got to have separate jail time to protect their family. Yet if that was a black celebrity, they would have locked them up immediately, with no care for the rest of the family and presumed guilty before ever being thought of as innocent. Something's got to give. This is the true racism, not the First Lady attending an event to uplift those who need it which is part of her job. Why must a black man or black woman be treated so unfairly when others say we are beyond that. We may be beyond it at face value yet it still plays out in the larger scheme of things.
Why must our people die by the hands of individuals that get power into their hands and don't know how to wield it. I remember having a conversation with a trainer for the Chicago police department, and he mentioned to me that those officers who have been written up or are on disciplinary action are put into the worse neighborhoods while those who are doing great in the force, who treat people with respect are put into the richer neighborhoods. Do you see what kind of situation that puts us as black men in. You send cops who hate their job and have no respect for others into areas who need help the most. People are dying every day in these neighborhoods yet the police could care less. When they do pay any attention to folk it's just to harass those not doing anything, yet gun shots are ringing right around them and they ignore it. And you wonder why we have no respect.
I know this blog post has kinda moved all over but the main premise is, why after all of these years can't we truly be beyond putting everything as racist. Why can't we just uplift each other instead of us having to be us vs them. Look at everyone the same. I know this sounds idealistic but until we do so many more lives will be shed in cold blood over ignorance, and so many individuals will never feel like their lives matter because others try to bring them down. Just remember that #BlackLivesMatter and #BlackGuysandGirlsDoRock.
