I distinctly remember at the beginning of #Ramadan I told one of my friends how I was going to miss running outside during this month....and she suggested that I just go on my daily run after Iftar...when the sun is down. /1
Today that same friend texted me the story of #AhmaudArbery and profusely apologized for being so insensitive and not recognizing that I don’t have the same privileges as some. /2
At the time I didn’t even have the capacity to delve into a lengthy conversation about why I, a larger black male, did not feel comfortable running at night in a mostly white neighborhood. /3
But this story hurts especially...because #AhmaudArbery did all the “right things” we’re taught to do:
He ran during the day
He ran in a public location
He ran on an open trail
He ran at a “reasonable” speed as to not look like he was running from something /4
He ran during the day
He ran in a public location
He ran on an open trail
He ran at a “reasonable” speed as to not look like he was running from something /4
He wore “non-threatening” (read non-black) clothing
He initially tried to divert from the people in his path
And still. None of it was enough. /5
He initially tried to divert from the people in his path
And still. None of it was enough. /5
Because at the end of the day, it was never about what he did. It was about what they saw, what they chose to believe, and how they chose to act. It hurts that his life was taken from while he was doing something he undoubtedly loved to do. /6
Everyday black Americans consciously make small choices and adjustments in our actions to feel safer...and this just goes to show that not even in the midst of a global pandemic is it enough. Because once again, it is never about what we do. It’s about how we are seen. /7
I have absolutely no intention of watching that full video, because I already know how it ends. It ends the same way all of them do. With someone who looks like me losing their life, and having their final horrific moments shared for the worlds viewing pleasure. /8
