Get Over It... Again

So my first draft of my blog post titled "Get Over It" was a little too harsh to post. Since I am a black Feminist, I feel as though I should touch on Black issues on my blog as well. Race issues is something I found to be passionate about and relevant to me just like Women's issues. Please remember I have the right to freedom of speech and of press and the following is strictly opinions and minor facts.

Get over it has been the central point of a lot of people's Facebook and Twitter posts when it comes to the discussion of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, etc. I was upset by the various opinions and borderline racist comments made by people in our society including {and shockingly} made by some friends/acquaintances of mine. The fact that people were saying that it had nothing to do with race and to "get over it" was very ignorant and insensitive on their parts. I was appalled for WEEKS by everything that people were saying but getting over it was is something I refused to do. Here's why:

Yes, lives are being taken everyday by people (police or not) but when Black lives are being taken out of "self defense" which is seen as a fear due to the stereotypes held against that person, it is a problem AND it is racist. Think about it. How many times have you locked your car doors when a Black man person walked by while you were sitting in it because you feared them or "feared for your life"? That's a fear caused by stereotypes of that individual and in these cases, stereotypes against Blacks.

Changing and focusing on "All Lives Matter" in this point in time is only changing the main focus and generalizing it to all people of all races including the superior and inferior. Saying that only changes the true focus that "All Black Lives Matter" and that some things in our society's judicial system needs to be revised and changed. I am not trying to be or sound discriminatory myself by focusing/covering only Blacks but that is my focus and my reference group. Plus, not all Whites and other races are racists and not all Blacks agree with my statements but that is okay as long as they believe and research facts to these cases going on in our society and see it for what it is.

In all of these cases going on today, there's always some excuse or "evidence" (so called) that stops the person who committed the kill from being arrested and going to jail. To me and last time I checked, killing someone is murder and there should always be some type of consequence to that. It seems as though every crime committed against a Black person man gets the full consequence whereas another race or the White race gets off easier. Btw, OJ Simpson does not count. The system is flawed and there are multiple studies to prove it! (Another issue I have with these posts because no one researches the facts for themselves.) Innocent until proven guilty versus Guilty until proven Innocent.

These situations could happen to any of us but especially to me and my Black peers. I do not feel safe going out even to the store (especially in Lexington) because I feel as if something happened, the law and it's officers would not be on my side to protect me only because of the color of my skin. I am afraid for the young children being raised in our society and who are going have to live and deal with the issues in our society. Change must and will come. It's already starting. Although other races do not know what it feels to be Black (which I might just do a separate post to point out obvious differences) but I hope that these situations begin to open some of their eyes and that as the majority that they begin to speak up against racism not only on social media sites but in their everyday conversations with their reference groups and even to their racist, older relatives.

So to those who keep saying "get over it", how about you get over it? Get over the facts that lives are being taken for the color of their skin (something they could not help) and that racism still exists and being silent about it is only making it worse. If you want to do something, resolve your internal conflicts by educating yourself and decide to do something about it...

Change starts from within.

Even I participated in the movement by attending my first, most definitely not last, Die-In on my college campus. Even a blackout and march that took place in the cold, rainy night that took place the day after the verdict of Michael Brown. My change started with the Trayvon Martin case.



Rest in Peace to all those who have died from police brutality and for those who have died because of the color of their skin
                                                 

STAND UP, SPEAK UP!!

Something I found recently that I absolutely agree with. I can't say that everyone is standing by this but I do believe a good amount of people are being misunderstood. I cannot put this in better words.