General Discussion

nadinbrzezinski

(154,021 posts) Thu Apr 30, 2015, 08:30 PM Apr 2015

Dear white Facebook friends: I need you to respect what Black America is feeling right now

(It applies here too)

Dear White America,

It is somewhat strange to address this to you, given that I strongly identify with many aspects of your culture and am half-white myself. Yet, today is another day you have forced me to decide what race I am — and, as always when you force me — I fall decidedly into “Person of Color.”

Every comment or post I have read today voicing some version of disdain for the people of Baltimore — “I can’t understand” or “They’re destroying their own community” or “Destruction of Property!” or “Thugs” — tells me that many of you are not listening. I am not asking you to condone or agree with violence. I just need you to listen. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to, but instead of forming an opinion or drawing a conclusion, please let me tell you what I hear:

I hear hopelessness
I hear oppression
I hear pain
I hear internalized oppression
I hear despair
I hear anger
I hear poverty

http://www.salon.com/2015/04/29/dear_white_facebook_friends_i_need_you_to_respect_what_black_america_is_feeling_right_now/

And this is the rank, unvarnished truth that people need to wrap their head around. I could have written this, from what I hear as well. This is what I hear too, but I have been listening. I ask many of you to do the same.