A frank letter to white people who may have disputed the fact that Black Lives Matter.
a word on 'all lives matter'
I was not initially going to write this, but with my attention recently having been caught by a fellow Vocal Challenge writer, I felt a significant and immediate urge to do so.
Opinions are opinions, and free speech means that everyone is entitled to express them without consequence. In this situation, however, I have witnessed this having an adverse effect when that opinion is self-serving and said in response to voices that have both not been heard but ultimately not been listened to. I have not only seen this on the news, but on social media, through old friends, new acquaintances and, heartbreakingly, my own family.
As white people, it is not only our PRIVILEGE to be able to listen to the experiences of Black people second hand, but it is our DUTY to amplify these stories so that ignorance is no longer bliss. Bliss for a white person means having the luxury to ignore these stories. It is to ignore the violence inflicted upon someone as a result of racial profiling. It is to ignore the hurt that a person experiences everyday due to the microaggressions that arise from our own poor behaviour. Ignorance for a white person is to say 'All Lives Matter' during a time when Black Lives are hurting and there is no room for debate.
I understand that we mean well when we say this. However, what YOU must understand is that the sentiment means nothing when you have not acted upon it at any other time in your life. Why now? Why do you suddenly believe that all lives matter only when Black Lives are declaring that they have not experienced what it feels like to matter. It is not only ignorant, it is unkind. You may have heard many analogies about this and have deemed them over-exaggerating or inapplicable. However, may I offer you something a lot simpler. When you say 'All Lives Matter' at the height of the 'Black Lives Matter' struggle, it is the equivalent to a distressed friend coming to you for help, only for you to tell that you, quite frankly, do not have the time right now. You make time. You make time to listen to why this is happening. You make time to hold those accountable. If you wish to, truly, live in a world, where ALL LIVES MATTER, you make time to find out why it is that you think that some do not matter right now.
White guilt, in my opinion, is a cause and contributor to this knee-jerk response. In the desperate attempt to appear non-racist, it embarrassingly misses the mark. And, what ultimately has resulted, is a complete dismissal of a movement entirely based on their skin colour.
Believe me, please, I know for the majority of people this response is genuinely coming from a place of trying to offer a compassionate voice free of exclusion. I do not intend to belittle or condemn. I merely wish to inform and let you know that acting on your sentiments is worth far more than spouting such an umbrella term as 'all lives matter' at this time. Therefore, by doing this, we can clear the clutter for the right voices that so desperately need to be heard and listened to. Even while you read the end of this, it is not my voice you needed to hear today and I beg you follow this up with an article written by the other participants in this challenge, and decide for yourself which voices matter.
About the Creator
Lizzie James
aspiring something
Keep reading
More stories from Lizzie James and writers in The Swamp and other communities.
Iran and Israel: Still Playing A Dangerous Game.
Hezbollah started out as a resistance movement to Israel. Since then the militia has grown steadily backed, supported, and supplied by Iran. Hezbollah and Israel fought a war in 2006, that ended in a stalemate. However, some historians believe that Hezbollah won that war. A UN- brokered ceasefire brought this conflict to an end.
By Nicholas Bishopa day ago in The Swamp
Rivers of Death
Rivers bring water the element essential to all life on Earth but wherever rivers flow they also bring death surprise attacks Savage kills and brutal fights every day is a battle for survival on these rivers of [Applause] death I'm under the African Sun Staying Alive is hot thirsty work and among the ranks of animals jostling to get a drink lurk Killers waiting to strike but while Lions may be fearsome and the huge Nile crocodiles ruthless Predators one of the continent's deadliest River Killers is mostly vegetarian renowned wallowers spending up to 16 hours a day lounging in the water hippos could be mistaken for relaxed creatures and yet the river horse as their name translates from ancient Greek can be a very angry pony indeed with tusks up to a foot and a half long hippos are literally armed to the teeth and a charging bull Hipp can impact with the weight force of a pickup truck what's more hippos May brutally defend their territory an Impala has been chased into a muddy Watering Hole by a lion it's stuck but for fortunately for the stricken analou the lion is reluctant to follow it into the Meer unfortunately it finds itself in the domain of a hippo ill disposed to uninvited guests the hippo's not stealing the watching Lion's meal she's most likely just aggressively defending her calf and the Impala pays the ultimate price for crossing a doting mother hippos are thought to kill more people each year than the rest of Africa's most dangerous animals combined and during mating season their ruthless aggression is directed at other hippos two bulls square up the pod's dominant male and a Challenger at stake the Riverbanks Prime mating territory and a Herm of females the dominant male puts on an aggressive display posturing to show he will not yield but the interloper Demands a fight finally the dominant male is Victorious the Conqueror celebrates with a dung shower marking the border of the territory he has successfully defended while the vanquished suffers more than just the agony of defeat his back is carved open and by Sunset the crocodiles are watching closely they'd be unlikely to take on a bull in rude Health but now they Circle an expectation the hippo breathes his last the price of insurrection is life his Hulk will not go to waste the crocodiles move in swiftly to Feast on the corpse for these voracious Predators it's a considerable meal but one dead hippo is a mere snack compared with the annual Feast provided by a particular African river each year the serengetti vast grass Plains filled to the Horizon with grazing animals taking part in one of Nature's greatest spectacles around 1 and2 million wilder beast join 700,000 other herbivores on the Great Migration around 1 in six of these migrants will die before completing the 500 M circuit many are outrun and taken down down by Africa's formidable array of Savannah carnivores their Journey coming to a Grizzly end but one of the deadliest single obstacles the vast herds must Traverse is the mara River after 3 months on the move the wilderbeast are exhausted and emaciated all that separates them from the Fresh pastures of the msai mara is the width of the river and a whole bunch of huge ravit Nile crocodiles despite the chilling threat posed by these powerful Predators some of the herd are either oblivious to the danger or so thirsty they dare to take a drink anyway for an unlucky few it will be their last and these witless victims merely wet the Croc's appetite the true Feast begins when the first of the herd Braves the river in the crush and Chaos of the crossing the 16t Crocs grabs scores of victims when 1,600 lb of musc futile the marus Crocs survive on meager rations for most of the year so take full advantage of the great migrations time of Plenty they Gorge themselves eating up to half their body weight in one sitting and with so many different species crossing the river the banquet is as varied as it is Bountiful but not all Africa's Crocs have such an easy meal ticket on the banks of this Kenyon River a Croc has got too close to a pack of feeding Lions a move it's about to regret it's a fierce attack but the Crocs skin is covered in bony armor plating eventually the Lion's Uninvited Guest Retreats having taught the Crocs and dinner manners the big cats return to the carcass the Amazon is a giant of a river and and conceal some monstrous Predators which kill with a crush and in a bloody frenzy draining a lowland Basin of close to 3 million square miles around 1/5 of the water that runs off the earth's surface is carried by the Amazon this giant of a river is renowned for its oversized residence both prey and Predator around 4 ft long and and weighing as much as an adult human capibara are the world's largest rodent they're
By cacloaidongvat2 days ago in The Swamp
The Fish Song
The room didn’t smell like disinfectants. Its fragrance seemed light and not overbearing. A soft mixture of lavender and mint permeated the space. No beeping machines or any tubes hooked up to four-year-old Kaleeka. Her cacao skin seemed to glow from the light over her head. The family, save for one and the doctors and nurses exited the room like a trail of saints showing their last vestiges of regard.
By Skyler Saunders5 days ago in Fiction
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.