#BLACKOUTTUESDAY

Welp. I am not usually someone to share any political viewpoints, but I think our world is experiencing a lot of “not usually’s”.

So, here goes.

In the last few days, I have had multiple conversations about world happenings. I am kind of shocked and exhausted by it all, to be straight. I feel like pushing it out of my brain, and going on with my life because it’s so awful and gruesome to see the reality of what black people face.

That natural reaction is exactly why, myself, as a white person can’t just do nothing!

White people have the power to influence change here because white people are the ones that need to. White people have the ability to be sympathetic, become educated, teach our friends, and never quit supporting necessary changes. I cannot stand here and tell you how because that is going to look different for everyone.

I’m starting by admitting my ignorance and striving to learn more!

Never before have I cared much about this because I am in the category of the “unaffected”. For that, I am sorry. There was something genuinely corrupt with my thinking if I honestly believed there is nothing I could do.

While I sat pretending that the hurt of my African American neighbors wasn’t a problem I could fix, while I sat thinking I couldn’t really make a difference and chose to put a bigger world problem aside, people have been hurt, brutally mistreated, and even murdered. I can’t even say that I blame anyone for rioting. I can’t even say I would do it differently.

On a much smaller scale, I think of the times as a kid when my mom would say, get off the computer. I wouldn’t. She would say get off the computer. I wouldn’t. This pattern would go on and on. Sometimes I would even say okay. But it wasn’t an “ok” I am going to!! It was a lie to get just five more minutes on the computer.

Then she would start yelling, “I SAID GET OFF THE COMPUTER!” The yelling often followed with me being grounded from the computer for longer than I felt fair. My kid-brain would be like, “Woah mom. Relax! I am getting off the computer! Don’t freak out.”

How many of us are that little kid in the situation of racial discrimination saying, “Woah people, stop freaking out!”?

African Americans have been brought to the point of “yelling” and “punishing” – if you will – society for their actions. These people are raising their voices through looting, riots, and more because for so long they have been asking us to do one simple thing – stop mistreating them because of the color of their skin! And all we have done is ignored them or sometimes even said “okay” with the single intention of doing what we want for five more minutes, five more days, five more years…

This can’t keep happening.

I can’t say that I agree that looting and riots are the answer, but instead of telling them the way they are acting is wrong, I think it’s time we hear their hurt.

All it takes for mom to stop yelling is for us to listen up and change our ways.

Feel free to share your ideas below of how you are becoming more aware, and helping toward change! I’d love to hear it!