Black Lives Matter

I'm disappointed that in the year 2020 we are still needing to have this discussion. This isn't something that should be up for debate and to be honest, it isn't up for debate- get with the program or you'll be left behind on the wrong side of history.

I'm white so I've been extremely blessed to not have any difficulties growing up based on the color of my skin- perfect example of white privilege. I'm always hearing others talk about how they "must have missed out on that privilege" because they've had a rough upbringing. White privilege doesn't take away from the fact that you've had to work for things in life, it's the fact that you didn't struggle based on the color of your skin. You're able to walk around at night and take out your cellphone without worrying that a "Karen" is going to think you have a gun, call the cops, and risk you getting shot while unarmed- WWB (walking while black). It's sad but it does and can happen

Racism: prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.

Yes, Racism is alive and well today. It doesn't matter if you don't see it, Black people have to live with it every single day of their lives. We don't need to live with it, therefore we may not notice it. Being ignorant to what's going on is selfish, we need to all pay attention and come together to make this a better America- and no, I absolutely do not mean "Make America Great again"

Let's discuss the biggest type of racism that plagues America- Implicit Bias. Or as I like to say- Subconscious Racism. While there are a surprising amount of people that are flat-out racist and feel confident spewing hate, there are even more people who show implicit bias without even recognizing it. Have you ever found yourself feeling more nervous around a black person than a white person and have no clue why? Yep- that's your subconscious being a bit racist. It's not entirely your fault, our ancestors owned slaves and for hundreds of years had an evil hate for people based on their skin color, it's been engrained in us. Play your part and understand that. Play your part and fight against it. You can control your actions, just use some human decency and common sense. While I know most of you won't want to admit to having any type of racist thought, that's okay but please PLEASE educate yourselves and play your part in making a change, no matter how small.

It's a real thing and I believe most of us have experienced it, the difference is those that understand they are bad thoughts and those that act/speak on those thoughts. Some people believe those thoughts are true and for whatever reason, believe black men and women are the inferior race (They must be forgetting who's committing all those school shootings).

What's even more shocking is a lot of these racists are religious, but how does that work when Jesus himself isn't even white (Surprise!)? They want to be holier than thou and will never EVER admit or believe Jesus wasn't white because then they'd realize they are just horrible people using religion to make themselves believe they are good people. It's disgusting because it's what gives religion a bad name. I'm not religious myself but I do know that if God is real, he loves everyone. Wouldn't you agree that good people can do bad things and bad people can do good things? There is a grey area but bad people are bad people and if you have that much hate for someone only because of their skin color, you're a bad person and I can guarantee you'd be one of the last making it into Heaven.

About 10 years ago I met a man, a racist man. It was the first openly racist person I had ever met/ talked to so instead of arguing, I wanted to figure out what his reasoning was. Disappointed but not surprised, there was no reason. He disliked black people ONLY because of the color of their skin. I was shocked- shocked because I never had to experience racism so hearing it come out of his mouth had me in disbelief. I asked him what he would do if he saw a black person on the side of the road with a broken car, he told me he'd stop to see if he could help but would not offer him a ride and would never ride in the same car as a black man. His family was extremely Christian and his sister was married to a woman but the family never discussed it, he said if she ever openly said that, he would never speak to her again. Can you imagine having that much hate within yourself? He's not a Christian because no real Christian would not feel that way about people. When I asked why he felt that way, he said he just did- there was ZERO reason behind his hate and i'm disgusted by it.

I'll never understand what you go through, but I can make you a promise that I will ALWAYS speak out against racism, I will ALWAYS be there to step in if Karen starts calling the cops, I will ALWAYS use my privilege in the right way, I will ALWAYS love you. Racists are not the majority and we will continue fighting against them. I can't promise racism is going to go away in the next year because let's be honest, we're trying to undo years and years of damage but just know you have more people standing behind than ever before and we're going to help you fight this battle.

I'll continue to educate myself because I still have tons of learning to do.

Happy Juneteenth!