I was raised outside the US, and was never exposed to the injustices that Black America face on a daily basis. I never felt unsafe or thought that I was underprivileged because of my skin color.
Was I naive? Was I being discriminated against but was too blind to see it?
Did the teller at the check out snap at me because I am black or because she was having a bad day?
All the times I greeted people with a smile and didn’t get a return was that because of my skin color? I just thought that the person had their own stuff going on or they’re not very friendly.
To be honest I was ignorant to it. Yes, I know the history, seen the movies and read the headlines but I didn’t really get it until now.
My biggest ignorance was toward the phrase Black Lives Matter. Doesn’t all life matter? Was the running thought in my mind. Of course I was to chicken shit to say anything to my black American friends because I am black, and I should “just know”.
Then came the George Floyd murder. It affected me (and the world) in a very strange way. It took me a week and a half to process everything. For the first time since moving to the US almost 20 years ago, I feel unsafe.
I didn’t think the color of my skin mattered to people… it didn’t matter to me, as long as I treated people fairly, honest and kind… I’m good. Now it’s different. Being fair, honest, kind and good to people is not enough. OR is it?
Back to Black Lives Matter… I really didn’t get it. I read so many comments from people who say All Lives Matter and the debates that followed. Until I read this article on Mind Body Green did I finally GET IT.
If you have two sons playing and one breaks his arm, you would not give both kids medical treatment. You would take care of the one who’s hurt, not because he matters more than the other but because he needs more immediate help. ~ Jess Bird
If you were at an event supporting people with breast cancer, you wouldn’t run in and scream “All cancer matters!” Obviously all cancer matters. We’re just focusing on one issue right now, and it helps nobody for you to try to redirect attention to other problems when we’re trying to deal with this one.
The events that happened not only with George Floyd but all the other murders, the woman in Central Park calling 9-1-1 just because a black man told her to put her dog on a leash has made me more aware that there is a real issue here.
I know, it took me a while to catch up. But I get it now and I feel ashamed for my ignorance. How could I think of myself as a realist, yet miss reality?
What now? Do I go around thinking that people only see the color of my skin? Some of my closest friends whom I love dearly are Caucasians, have they been looking at me differently all this time?
