Thread by @SingsongRaptor

Telling Black people, especially Black women, that they're "strong", a "superhero" or are "your hero" for enduring and surviving the realities of oppression, for educating you on their lived experience and/or sharing their trauma with you, is a microaggression. Stop it.

Black people are not superheroes just for existing. We don't exactly have a choice in the matter of enduring centuries of genocide and oppression, compounded by any other marginalization we are subjected to, like being queer, trans, disabled or a woman.

White supremacy declares us superhuman, unable to feel pain, able to endure all manner of harsh treatment, cruelty and labor, able to stand strong against tidal waves and hurricanes of evil. It declares us impervious, a support beam, a monster

White supremacy declares us unneeding of support, real support, that acknowledges our humanity and our pain, that doesn't strive to push it away and admire us for being unbending and amazing for still living, still standing, still keeping on

Black people are not your heroes, not your superhumans, not your inspiration. We're not enduring bcuz we're inherently able to endure massive amounts of evil, not bcuz we're strong and incredible for existing. We're enduring bcuz we're hostages. Bcuz it's either that or die.

Calling Black people your hero is a microaggression. Especially since y'all abandon us at the first sign of breaking. You don't value our actual existence as humans, as ppl with emotions, that need real love and support, that need things to change.

You uncritically proclaim we need more counselors and therapists, esp in schools, instead of cops, without acknowledging medical racism and the ways that mental health care ignores and actively tries to destroy us. That's antiblack, y'all ain't even listening.

We just wanna exist in peace, being your hero requires us to suffer in silence and stoicism, to accept and lean into the cruelty and suppress our rage (since y'all tone police your heroes and black ppl in general), it forces an act and a role onto us that only serves you. Stop it

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