I have been taking a break from social media because my life has been hectic. I hop on and hop off, but I felt as if my feet were in quicksand when I read the stories about George Floyd, the black man killed by police officers in Minneapolis days ago.
Every time I read or hear an account of a black or brown person being killed senselessly by law enforcement, I become enraged. I become sickened. I become ashamed. Because we white folks have to do better.
I remember the conversations when Kaepernick was kneeling against police violence against black and brown people. White people were divided over the disrespect of the National Anthem. Silently kneeling during the National Anthem was seen as disrespect toward the American flag, veterans, and our country. Or it was seen as a reasonable and nonviolent way to speak out against racism and unjustifiable killings.
And this is the second time this month I have been able to share photos of Kaepernick kneeling with a “this is why” tagline.
Enough.
There shouldn’t be two sets of law here, one for whites and one for blacks, and my friends and loved ones shouldn’t have to post about crying when their sons leave the house. My best friend shouldn’t have to wonder if this time she leaves the house will be the last time she leaves the house. My friends shouldn’t have to post about why #BlackLivesMatter is important, and we damn sure shouldn’t be having conversations about how it wasn’t racism that made the officers behave in such manners.
Recognizing Privilege
I’ve read comments from white folks denouncing white privilege, saying that they haven’t had an easier life because they were white, and I want to call b.s. every single time. White privilege doesn’t mean that you don’t have troubles, but it does mean that your troubles aren’t increased because of the color of your skin. It means that you don’t have to sit with your white children and explain to them they have to play by a different set of rules because their skin is darker. It means that you don’t have to fear that your child will be killed for selling cigarettes or sitting in their apartment playing video games.
I am ashamed of my race when someone loses their life because they don’t look like me. I am ashamed of my race when someone who does look like me flippantly reply that they don’t see color. That isn’t helping! That’s not what white folks need to do.
So, what do we need to do?
First of all, start speaking up. Stop laughing or playing along with the water cooler talk. Start denouncing people who make racist comments, and then start telling people of color that you do see color. Tell them that you need to know how to help. What can we do to support the black and brown communities? Because I guarantee we’re not doing a good job at what we need to be doing. If we were, there wouldn’t be headlines to share about yet another black man in America being killed.
A man is dead because he attempted to use false documents at a deli. At. A. Deli. There was no violence. And then, during the arrest, an officer knelt with his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck for seven minutes. Seven. Minutes.
Last Words
We have to do better. We should be filling the streets in protest with this community. We should stand for something rather than falling for anything. Seven minutes of kneeling on a man’s neck, leading to his death because he attempted to use false documents at a deli?
It’s an atrocity. White people have to take responsibility for fixing this. We have to use our privilege to stop this because every single time a person of color is killed for doing something that wouldn’t have resulted in the death of a white person, we all suffer.
Begging for a drink of water. Begging for help. Bleeding from the nose … all because he used fake documents at a deli?
I leave you with Mr. Floyd’s words.
“Please, I can’t breathe.”
“My stomach hurts.”
“My neck hurts.”
“Everything hurts.”
“They’re going to kill me.”
Say his name: George Floyd.
