(THREAD) In high school or college, a friend gifted me a copy of BLACK RAGE - a reflection of two Black psychiatrists (Grier & Cobbs) who "tell it as it is" and "reveal the full dimensions of the inner conflicts and the desperation of the Black man's life in America." 
1/ Unfortunately, I never read more than a few pages. And I'm not sure why he gave it to me - maybe he knew something I didn't or couldn't fully appreciate at the time. Or maybe he had heard of the novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, and activist James Baldwin.
2/ Last week, I observed many angry reactions to George Floyd's murder, but had a different response. Something more like emotional detachment/disconnection. At times, I felt like a dispassionate spectator and wondered what was wrong with me. (Answer: nothing.)
3/ Every time I saw the image of George Floyd on my screen I would avert my gaze, get up, walk away. Or when I'd hear his voice, I'd quickly grab the remote and turn off the TV as fast as I could. I was NOT going to be a willing participant in my own traumatization.
4/ At some point, something changed, and I got mad. I *think* it was shortly after I heard Ms. Roxie Washington, the mother of George Floyd's daughter Gianna, her voice cracking, as she struggled through a press conference with "Gigi" by her side. usatoday.com/story/news/nat…
5/ It was the same day I read statement after statement about how terrible the killing of George Floyd was and how it was time for change. Between Ms. Washington, the litany of statements, and protest and tear gassing footage on loop, I lay in my bed that night unable to sleep.
6/ After days of (another kind of) distancing and feeling numb, the rage came suddenly, like a flood. I was mad because I could not control when I would see George Floyd's murder, knee in neck, appear suddenly and hear his muffled last words. #ICantBreathe
7/ I was mad because a television news anchor argued that there was no alternative but to watch, repetitive exposure and trauma be damned!
8/ I was mad because in addition to a longstanding tradition of murdering Black and Brown bodies, sans accountability, American citizens and allies, who appeared to be protesting peacefully, were assaulted and gassed. usatoday.com/in-depth/graph…
9/ I was mad because many "Floyd statements" read to me as obligatory, vacuous and just for show. Full of grief, outrage, platitudes, commitments, and calls to action, but light on substance and specific action plans that would lead to real change.
10/ I was mad because NOW everyone wanted to name and talk about systemic racism, when just weeks prior, in my own attempts to name racism in discussions of COVID-19 racial disparities, I had been met, by some, with skepticism, resistance, and denial.
11/ I was mad because I observed BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) faculty colleagues saddled with pleas to author statements and with requests for guidance. What should we do? How and when?
12/ I was mad because a friend posted on social media that anger was a choice and that getting together in groups (to protest) was wrong. She stated that most protestors “weren’t thinking” and "didn’t care about George Floyd."
13/ In case it's not clear, I was mad. Mad about: the (viral) murder of a Black man; the use of force at Lafayette Square; performative "Floyd statements"; lack of action; unfair service burden; and lack of empathy and understanding.
14/ I hope that, in the future, @CNN and other outlets will choose mental health over ratings and use greater discretion in what they air, and when and how they air it, to avoid re-traumatizing Black people. nytimes.com/2020/06/03/opi…
15/ I hope that all people in this country who wish to protest peacefully can do so and not be struck, assaulted or abused by the police for seeking justice.
16/ I hope that Floyd statements can move beyond feelings of horror and surprise and expressions of solidarity to naming and identifying concrete, specific, and measurable actions that can lead to long-lasting, structural change. Sort of like this: benjerry.com/about-us/media…
17/ I hope that naming and confronting systemic racism will be more than lip service and the newest talking point/fad. And that we can agree that racism is a root cause and not the same as poverty or all other racism euphemisms we like to use instead.
18/ I urge White colleagues to fight anti-Black racism. Offering to “help” is a problematic frame. Take the lead. Self-educate. Read. Write the first draft of the statement. Advocate for BIPOC faculty hires. Compensate BIPOC colleagues for their time. scarymommy.com/stop-asking-pe…
19/ And I hope that, while engaged in the struggle, Black colleague-activists will extend the same graces that they do to others, to themselves, and engage in radical self-care. afropunk.com/2019/07/radica…
20/ My anger will come and go, and I plan to finally read Black Rage soon. But, I’m hopeful. Let's move beyond statements to bold ACTION, and maybe, just maybe, we can get a little closer to dismantling, eradicating, and showing anti-Black racism the door. /END
PS/ Here is an example of an exemplary statement - I’m sure there are others- and it doesn’t only name George Floyd. One of the best I’ve read. theasa.net/about/news-eve…
PS2/ Exactly. chronicle.com/article/Higher…
