“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.”

-Frederick Douglass

We’re crying, do you see our tears? We’re screaming, do you hear our voices?We’re angry, do you feel our pain? I don’t know if you could ever really feel our pain. The pain of being in a constant state of fear every time you wake up. Barely finding peace in the sanctity of your own home, but always having a small fear in the back of your mind that some will violate that sanctity and murder you “by mistake.”  Constant fear when you see flashing lights in your rear view mirror and not knowing whether or not you’ll leave from that encounter alive. Constant fear that the next  unarmed African America being killed might be your mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, or friend. Not only being in a constant state of fear but a perpetual state of grief due to deaths of unarmed African Americans at the hands of white citizens just because. Deaths of unarmed African Americans due to abuse of power by law enforcement just because. Disproportionate deaths of African Americans infected by COVID-19 amidst this global pandemic just because of health disparities. Deaths of our hope with the lack of  “justice” for us. Deaths of our spirits from DAILY microaggressions and racial profiling incidents. Deaths of our dreams no matter how polite or educated or professional or non-threatening we look, sound, or are. Stuck between the stages of anger and depression and never completing the full cycle of grief. Its exhausting. We are exhausted. I am exhausted. It’s time, better late than never, to show up for us. Change laws for us. Hold others accountable for us. Stand with us. Protest with us. Support us. Buy from black owned businesses. Donate to organizations that fight for racial equality and social justice. Be “uncomfortable”and have those “uncomfortable” conversations with co-workers, friends, and even family members. And the most basic thing of all, that costs no money and exerts very little energy, actually live by the Golden Rule. Treat us like you’d want to be treated. We are human. Our lives matter. Black lives matter. BLACK LIVES MATTER.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

I matter. 

I matter.