Your Silence Speaks Volumes
Your silence speaks volumes. In fact your silence is so loud, it’s deafening. My ears are bleeding from the white noise. I’m thankful for people who recognize how big this moment is and have chosen to lift their voices in solidarity to condemn police brutality and unconscionable hate against my Black brothers and sisters across this nation. This piece is directed to those who fail to answer the call of justice and civility. This piece is directed to those who are offended by the words, BLACK LIVES MATTER, but call themselves friends. This piece is written to those who say, I don’t see color, but turn a blind eye when Black people are villainized, demonized and beaten by the media. I boldly confront those of you who have more compassion and empathy for cats and dogs than the lives of Black people. You outta be ashamed of yourself. What are you so afraid of? You made sly remarks about our pain. You made hasty comments about our marches. You shout about your love of God from the rooftops, but yet you’re silent when it comes to senseless crimes committed against those who are different than you. I dare say, you really don’t know anything about God, because if you did, you’d speak up when the police kill us dead in the streets. It’s repulsive— it’s nauseating. We’re at a tipping point in this nation and have been for quite sometime. For the past four years, we’ve endured a gross level of incompetence from a White House that has emboldened racist from sea to shining sea.
We’re living in an important moment in history. This moment, right here, right now is defining. History remembers all and will judge each of us accordingly. We’ll look back on these days and remember where we were when we saw the images of George Floyd’s lifeless body at the hand of that murderous cop. We will remember how we felt when we saw footage of provocateurs who came to our peaceful marches and instigated chaos, only for us to be blamed for the damage. This is just the tip of the iceberg as it relates to be being Black in America. The level of stress and anxiety is unimaginable, but we take pride in who we are despite these challenges.
How dare someone call themselves a friend and choose to be silent on matters of this magnitude? If I sound angry, good, because I am. This is our lives, and we take it very seriously. I believe many of us have really found out who our friends are. We’ve discovered in some cases, we’re the token Black friend. If you’re our friend, then wake up. It’s time for you make your stance known. It’s time for you to stop pretending there isn’t an issue. Get in the game or step to the side. It’s prime time now. If you’re a real friend to someone Black, you should probably say something.
Rant over.