Sometimes you have to speak up. Staying silent is simply not an option. I tend to watch and observe; letting people do their thing. Rarely do I get into saying my piece within the Racial Divide- but I simply had to. This is my reply.
It's not "lumping in" to
simply say that your experience in this world is vastly different than mine. Or any person of color. What is being stated is that as an
American of White descent, the lens in which you view the world is NOT the same
as the lens that POC live through and view the world every day.
To be blunt- you are safe in your
Whiteness. As an African American female, I don't have the privilege to go into
a department store and not be watched as potential thief. You do. Within the media,
you can find a standard of beauty that suits your taste. I cannot.
I do not and cannot presume to know what your
personal experience of life has been; but White America tends not to lend that
same respect to POC. THAT is what Ms. Jordan was saying above.
Racism is a social construct devised by those
in power to keep themselves as the majority; and to keep those they deem
inferior subjugated. Please tell me when in the history of the United States of
America have People of Color had power over White America- past, present, or
possibly within the near future?
To a degree- everyone has privilege-
except those that truly don’t. However, as a White female, the privileges that
you enjoy are superior to those that most POC have. I would ask that you take a
moment and think of all the things that you have in your life that you are
blessed by, and ask your self- does everyone have these same blessings and
privileges that I do? I can guarantee that if you break it down by ethnic
background (race, color- however you want to play it), that the answer will be
no.
I invite you to sit down with a POC
and **listen** to their story. Leave out all preconceived notions, bias, and
fears, and just listen. Not with an agenda, not so you can say “I did it”, and
not to formulate a reply. But to listen with your heart the story of someone
that has walked a different path than yours, that encounters this sort of fear
on a daily basis.
Praying for love, peace, and light
throughout your path.
2 comments:
Jodi Faye Hager
I don't understand what's so horrible about this. He was accused of something because he matched the exact description. Yes they have to check it out, that's the fucking law. If you just took everyone's word because they said the words I'm not a criminal and I didn't do it, then we would all be screwed and there would be literally no justice system. I completely am with black lives matter and I am not fond of the police at all, to put it mildly, and I agree that white privilege exists and black people are still discriminated on on a day-to-day basis. In this instance however, he matched a description, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, they had to check it out because that's what their job is, and no, no one's just going to trust you're not a criminal just because you're a professor. This is kind of irritating that you're acting like you were shot or convicted by the police. They didn't detain you for hours, and they didn't bring you anywhere. They spoke to you, asked you some questions, let the lady who was an actual victim look at your face, all in all you had a shity 45 minutes is what it looks like. You're not a victim, and it's not profiling if he didn't even match the description, but he did. It would have been profiling if there was no description and they just decided to grab him cuz he's black. That's profiling. There's no other way you can say this. He matched the description of a criminal, so they had to see if he was that Criminal. If the justice system worked on the silly idea of just letting people speak for themselves and say if they're a criminal or not or if they're guilty or not, nobody would be in jail, and there would be no justice system, and there would be no justice. I can't believe he feels so entitled, that his word should mean everything and the police shouldn't be doing their job looking for anyone that matches the description even slightly. 2 months ago
Marshonne Walker
As you succinctly said: That's Profiling. Mr. Locke was profiled simply because he is Black. There is no other argument, no other definition ("a shitty 45 minutes") that you can justifiably present that can erase what happened. As you are not a Black person, you don't get to say what is or is not traumatic to Black people. You do not have the right to erase someone's experience. You, Jodi, are safe in your whiteness. You will never have to fear your skin color will get you killed because you ALLEGEDLY look like every other Black person. You won't spend your life looking over your shoulder making sure that some random person doesn't think you're being a stereotype and need the police called on them. You don't have to automatically fear the police. You don't have to pray if you get stopped, that you live to get home. Everything I just stated is LITERALLY what happened to Mr. Locke. The fact that you call his reaction "entitled" speaks more to your point of view than actively acknowledging Mr. Locke's experience. I do not and cannot presume to know what your personal experience of life has been; but White America tends not to lend that same respect to POC. I would suggest if you truly care about African Americans and Black people like you say you do, then really sit down with a Black person and **listen** to their story. Leave out all preconceived notions, bias, and fears, and just listen. Not with an agenda, not so you can say “I did it”, and not to formulate a reply. But to listen with your heart the story of someone that has walked a different path than yours, that encounters this sort of fear on a daily basis. Maybe it'll open up some new thoughts, maybe it won't. But in this age of division, empathetic understanding of other people's lives outside our own POV can only heal the divide, not make it worse.
Here's another genius... Two months ago. Folks don't know I'mma come collect they buttz. Sheesh...
Replies to Jodi's comment on Steve M Williams's post View post
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