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Folks talk about racism like it’s just a character flaw. But if you’re a teacher, a police Sergeant, an editor at the NYT, a judge, Mayor, Congressperson...the President, your laws, policies, articles, teachings, sentencings affect real people. And “well meaning” people will...
...excuse it because, well the NYT did write that article about how black ppl are just violent drug addicts snd, your teacher gave you that book on how black ppl aren’t as smart and, well...police statistics DO show that black ppl commit more crimes and, well...Judges wouldn’t...
...sentence black people (including children) to longer/harsher sentences if they didn’t need it and, Ronald Reagan was a movie star and the 80’s were great, so what if he (started by Nixon) started the War On Drugs that destroyed generations of black familes...
...after awhile, here we are...in 2019 denying that Black Americans “deserve” reparations because slavery was 150 years ago and Gov policies have been fair & uplifting since then. Our parents were alive during Jim Crow. WE were alive during the War on Drugs/Reaganomics.
And even if you aren’t in a high power position, people are emboldened by racism. Hate crimes are on the rise. You know what gave us 45? Barack Obama. Doesn’t matter if you loved or hated him. Just hus presence (with his black wife/children) as our President was to convince...
...people who voted FOR HIM, to vote for this bigot. Media love to say these people aren’t racist, because again, ppl look at racism as just a character flaw...not the policies. These people KNEW they could go to work, smile in their black/brown colleagues faces & 45 would...
...do their dirty work for them. They knew his policies would put black folks back in their places. They didn’t want sly racism, they wanted in your face. That real. That’s what they got. And while a lot of those folks would let someone else do their dirty work...
...many others have enough ammunition to do it themselves. Reminder, hate crimes are on the rise. These folks are hurting real people. No one cares what’s in their damn hearts.
We really act like “everyday, working people” didn’t get dressed up in their Sunday’s best, pack a nice lunch and take their children out to “enjoy” lynchings. Then they’d go back home, to church, school, work, babyshowers. For generations. Lots of people didn’t go I’m sure.
A lot of people were probably disgusted. So they ignored it. Tried to push it to the back of their minds. Nothing they could do, right? The families watching & the families not going could all say, it wasn’t them who strung black folks up. But all of them were complicit.
Meanwhile, black people were living in terror. During slavery, running from slavery, fighting to end slavery, fleeing the South for new lives & learning about Northern racism. Jim Crow, fighting Jim Crow, protesting/getting beat up/killed to end Jim Crow. Redlining. Being...
...left out of the GI Bill, Redlining, white flight, The War on Drugs, Reaganomics, predatory lending that still exists today AND WAS ONE OF THE CAUSES OF THE 2008 RECESSION THAT HIT BLACK FOLKS HARD AND WE STILL HAVEN’T RECOVERED FROM. But yeah...Baltimore & Chicago. Also...
...goodbye white flight, hello gentrification. Oh and weed is adorable now! Not for Trayvon, or black ppl in prison/still being arrested & being denied access/capital to the legal side but...but it is for 13 year old Mandy. She’s on the cover of Forbes. Girl Power or something.
But yes, slavery was soooooooooo long ago. Give us our fucking money.
And leave us the hell alone.
