Last year I blogged about self-care. I mentioned I would come back this year and delve into more personal issues one being grief which led me to take a sabbatical that was long overdue. There was a great amount of loss for me in 2020 but also in the years immediately leading up to it that I had not completely been able to deal with because life was happening. Today I wanted to talk about it.
It has been six years today since my Mom passed away. That is a loss that I grieve daily. Once again, I find that I cannot probe into how I feel about that because there are other things happening around me that seem to be not more important, but more in the moment that need attention.
Unless you have lived under a rock this is a week that will be recorded in the history books. The Democratic party was able to win 2 senate seats in Georgia thereby securing the senate. Now the Democrats control the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. Also, this week in what should have been a normal and boring ceremony, Biden and Harris were certified as the next President and Vice President of the United States. Normal and boring it was not. White domestic terrorists stormed the Capitol building in hopes of disrupting the process and left behind chaos, destruction, death, fear, and exposure. I want to focus on the exposure.
Much like when George Floyd was murdered, the world watched America and could not deny the blatant disregard of Black and Brown individuals. We have been exposed on a widescale nature and the genie is out of the bottle. This is America. There is and always have been two sets of standards for how we are reviewed, treated, and reported on and this time, the world watched in horror as the President of the United States openly called for war upon the people he was sworn to serve.
Black Americans everywhere sat back and took to social media with a level of humor and anger. This was not our fight. We saw white terrorists attacking a sacred building and laughing in the face of democracy with the intent to do harm all while able to securely walk away and go home. They did not fear for their lives. They were not met with tear gas or rubber bullets. They were not called thugs or monsters. They were called patriots and the leader of the free world expressed love and support for them. They knew they were covered by their privilege, the privilege of being born white and they relished it. They spread their feces along the floors, walls and halls of the building and took government property. Of the tens of thousands, one of them got shot and died. Only 55 initial arrests were made, 47 for trespassing.
The police were outnumbered by 60 to 1 (it may even be higher). Washington D.C. has the toughest, well trained, and deepest police force in the nation. This is where the heavy hitters are! You have the people who RUN THE COUNTRY there. Why was there no one prepared for such an event where it was broadcasted for weeks ahead of time? I know the answer, you know the answer.
In contrast, in a peaceful protest earlier this summer, with 200,000 African Americans, over 500 arrests were made, tear gas was sprayed, and rubber bullets were flying. The national guard was deployed and there was a police presence so heavy it was unbelievable.
America, much like its current leader, has shown the world who she is all along. This indignant surprise expressed by many is appalling to me. Blacks and Browns have always been treated differently. We are not safe in our homes, we are not safe in traffic stops, we are not safe on the train, we are not safe on the playground. We are not safe being Black!
The audacity of white privilege to getup, get dressed, arm themselves and overtake the Capitol Building. The expectation to make it home and post it on social media is a norm. THIS IS AMERICA. Don’t be surprised it happened. Ask yourselves, how long will it continue to happen?
If they were Black, would the nation care this much? Wouldn’t they be just a bunch of crazy thugs and monsters and not mentally ill individuals? Would we be looking for excuses for their behavior to justify their actions? Would we care if they were former vets, lawyers, doctors, or businesspeople who were radicalized, or would they be just another bunch of niggers to get the death penalty?
This is America.
America hasn’t changed.
America has shown you who she is.
Be safe, I love you!
2 replies on “This is America”
This IS who we are! This is WHO we have always been! Will this be who we will become in the future? I pray this week’s events have finally shown the significant disparity that exists. This is a country that operates from two different paradigms. I pray this is the beginning of us becoming one, becoming a true United States!
Amen to that!