I am mindful that I am hardly your go to girl for current affairs or in fact anything of any sort of serious nature, however I am human & in this instance, that qualifies me enough.
I am compelled to write after being massively affected by the diabolically inhumane, defenceless killing of George Floyd, a 46 year old African American man by law enforcers in Minneapolis, USA on Monday.
The sickening footage shows a white police officer kneeling on Mr Floyds neck for NINE minutes as he begs for his life whilst onlookers implore the officer to give him space. Meanwhile he is heard pleading “I can’t breathe”, “Don’t kill me.”
Moments later he stopped moving.
His crime? Various reports say it was a forged cheque or a counterfeit note.
A non violent act, which quite frankly, given the dire economic straits many people are in at this crazy point in history could be forgivable.
As a consequence 4 police officers including Derek Chauvin, the cop pictured with his knee on Mr Floyds neck have all been fired from the police force. The Mayor shortly after tweeted “This is the right call.”
I’m sorry, WHAT?! A man has been murdered in plain sight, it is captured for all to see on video & they are simply out of a job?! These men deserve to be behind bars, & as for the main perpetrator Chauvin, I have no words.
I am heartbroken at what I have witnessed. The blatant, brazen, senseless depravity. I am sickened to my core. How one human can do that to another & then, for that monster to be protected by the very organisations designed to protect & serve us all, whose wages are paid by their victims. I feel rage, I feel sadness, I feel disbelief. I feel desperation.
I feel helpless.
Yet we are not. We have voices & we must use them. Words have untold power. They have energy, they provide strength in unison & inspire others. Talking educates. It’s a small gesture to ignite discussion in your families, in your networks, to write a status update, upload a photo, share an article but in doing so we challenge the status quo & encourage others to engage with critical thought. We must use our words to openly call out & reject those who uphold white privilege. We must stand up for one another & for what is right. We must stand up for George Floyd. For Ahmaud Arbery. For Eric Garner, Stephon Clark, Sandra Bland, Alton Sterling, Tamir Rice. For… The list is endless.
Yes it is uncomfortable. Its tough talking about sensitive subjects like race, inequality, prejudice, institutionalized discrimination; issues that you may not feel well informed enough about, & trust me I feel apprehensive writing about this right this moment. I will undoubtedly make mistakes but I am trying & that is the very first step. I can not continue to turn a blind eye.
Silence is complicity.
White people more than anyone need to join this conversation. We must shatter the white fragility that prevents us from tackling the very real systemic & conditioned racism inherent in ALL our societies. It is not a myth. It has not been eradicated; not anywhere. We must acknowledge our participation in upholding these racist systems, we are all part of the problem & we must all take responsibility.
“In a racist society it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.”
Angela Davis
Too often we unknowingly support the problem, even when we are well-intentioned; none of us are exempt from a lifetime of racist conditioning so being anti-racist is an undeniably active pursuit.
For those who want to join me in educating themselves & taking the next step I have found some great resources online courtesy of the incredible Jameela Jamil whose relentless use of her platform to speak out against societys ills is truly incredible. A particular source she highlights is The Great Unlearn by @Rachel.Cargle who offers an on going syllabus that informs on anti racism plus @privtoprog who also provide much needed education.
Join me.
If you aren’t ready to talk about it, & do you know what I clearly haven’t been until now, at the very least I urge you to please support those that do. Its lonely out there so be sure to bolster those who do stand up for what is right & make it known. I know I have hesitated at times when ‘liking’ a particular political post or sensitive issue but if you agree with their standpoint then show the love. That way we create a stronger, more resilient environment that makes it easier for others, yourselves included to stand up & speak out too.
You have power. You have a voice; use it for what matters.
P.s For those of you who might be puzzled to find this type of article on my site & are still looking for the punchline; whilst I want to create a happy, fun, positive environment in my social media presence & be a beacon of light & joy, my number one goal is to be real & authentic with you so whilst I do intentionally insulate myself from a lot of mainstream media & negativity there are some things that can not be ignored & this is certainly one of them.
