I posted this earlier to an antiracist group I started on Facebook. I’ve taken out the names of the others involved. They can choose to be public. It’s not up to me to expose them.
A conversation today: “All lives matter”. David’s response? “Yes they do”. (and a tease, all news stories need a good lead in, this is it)
First, a shout out to (name one redacted) . What you wrote earlier said a lot. It’s why we have this group, to say what you said in a safe space, among friends. I can barely imagine the hate you would have endured had you said the same in “Uncensored Melrose”.
A second to (name two redacted). I was a bit angry at some hate on that other site. I wrote something along this line in response “you are an ignorant mother-fucker”. (Name two) called me out, said, we’ve met, you are better than this, please delete it. I changed it. (Name two), thank you.
So today, I was holding a sign that said “Justice for all Means ALL #BLM“. Standing on that corner. Noticed a couple passing the fire station coming towards me. They were Black, African-American, I didn’t ask how they self-identify. When they reached the corner across from me he yelled “That’s an intelligent man”. She smiled. I thought….
“Intelligent man”? He can call me that. There’s another “code word”. “Articulate”. It’s one of the things we struggle with. “Intelligent”? “Articulate”? When a White person says that to a Black person, it’s really an insult, you aren’t “like” “them”. I think you know what I mean. When he said it, I heard “I agree with your sign”.
So back to “All lives matter”. His whole statement was “All lives matter but right now we need to focus on Black people”. So yes, I said “I agree”. How could I not? But before 5:10PM tonight when this man walked by me I couldn’t have seen myself agreeing to anything that started with “All Lives Matter”.
Most days I would have posted this in “Melrose whatever”. Can’t tonight. Yes, I sometimes post to provoke the hate, to show what we are fighting against. But tonight, like earlier when (name one redacted) posted, I need this safe space too.
Be well my friends.