In the wake of senseless deaths of #AltonSterling, #PhilandoCastile, the 5 Dallas Police Officers and, I'm sure, other individuals, I wrote something brief for friends/family/acquaintances on Facebook. I thought that I would share it here as well. (Note: The post has been mildly edited and stylized for effect.)
My heart is so heavy.
It has been continually weighed down over the past several years by the senseless deaths of innocent people... by the vile musings of those who lack compassion for human lives being lost... by those who try to justify the murder of black PEOPLE.
For those who choose not to understand: #BlackLivesMatter is a pro-HUMAN movement: it is pro-cop, pro-compassion, pro-justice and pro-unity. If you see it as anything other than that, You. Don't. Understand. What. It. Is. That. We. Are. Upset. About.
The officers whose lives were taken last night did not deserve that. The real message of #BlackLivesMatter encompasses that.
#AltonSterling and#PhilandoCastile and the countless other hash-tagged names at the VERY LEAST deserved their day in court and not an extrajudicial execution. #BlackLivesMatter advocates for and pleads for all people to understand that.
What #BlackLivesMatter is NOT about is vengeance, tit-for-tat, race-motivated, anti-police MURDER. If you believe that, you are willfully ignorant to the plight that your Brown and Black friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, lovers, community servants, etc. face EVERYDAY.
You are one of the people that "refuse to make it about a race-issue" because diminishing systemic racism is easier than confronting it. You are one of the people that "just wishes everyone could get along" because you refuse to understand the historical and contemporary ramifications of HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS being held hostage by those who are in power to maintain their sovereignty. You are one of the people "that doesn't see color or race" because you might just get a little uncomfortable realizing and coming to terms with the privilege that your skin color affords you. You would rather believe that entire races of people "want to play the victim" than confront the rivers of blood, the netting of gunshot wounds and the frayed nooses that plague our people and stoke our grief than see what is plainly in front of you.
Let's stand together in love.
Let's listen with open ears and hearts and minds and with our mouths closed.
Let's try to understand the loss of humanity we create by NOT confronting/dismantling the malicious systems that tacitly condone the murder of PEOPLE in this country by not holding murderers accountable. Let's also understand that accountability does not mean disregard for human error; Accountability is a measure that we can use to disavow the carnage that human error creates.
We don't want more deaths; We simply want the assurance that it is okay for us to be alive. So, for what I am sure will not be the last time:
#BlackLivesMatter.
It has been continually weighed down over the past several years by the senseless deaths of innocent people... by the vile musings of those who lack compassion for human lives being lost... by those who try to justify the murder of black PEOPLE.
For those who choose not to understand: #BlackLivesMatter is a pro-HUMAN movement: it is pro-cop, pro-compassion, pro-justice and pro-unity. If you see it as anything other than that, You. Don't. Understand. What. It. Is. That. We. Are. Upset. About.
The officers whose lives were taken last night did not deserve that. The real message of #BlackLivesMatter encompasses that.
#AltonSterling and#PhilandoCastile and the countless other hash-tagged names at the VERY LEAST deserved their day in court and not an extrajudicial execution. #BlackLivesMatter advocates for and pleads for all people to understand that.
What #BlackLivesMatter is NOT about is vengeance, tit-for-tat, race-motivated, anti-police MURDER. If you believe that, you are willfully ignorant to the plight that your Brown and Black friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, lovers, community servants, etc. face EVERYDAY.
You are one of the people that "refuse to make it about a race-issue" because diminishing systemic racism is easier than confronting it. You are one of the people that "just wishes everyone could get along" because you refuse to understand the historical and contemporary ramifications of HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS being held hostage by those who are in power to maintain their sovereignty. You are one of the people "that doesn't see color or race" because you might just get a little uncomfortable realizing and coming to terms with the privilege that your skin color affords you. You would rather believe that entire races of people "want to play the victim" than confront the rivers of blood, the netting of gunshot wounds and the frayed nooses that plague our people and stoke our grief than see what is plainly in front of you.
Let's stand together in love.
Let's listen with open ears and hearts and minds and with our mouths closed.
Let's try to understand the loss of humanity we create by NOT confronting/dismantling the malicious systems that tacitly condone the murder of PEOPLE in this country by not holding murderers accountable. Let's also understand that accountability does not mean disregard for human error; Accountability is a measure that we can use to disavow the carnage that human error creates.
We don't want more deaths; We simply want the assurance that it is okay for us to be alive. So, for what I am sure will not be the last time:
#BlackLivesMatter.