Kisses & Smiley Faces

I wanna burn for you. 

Only for you. 

Take my life. As a sacrifice.

I wanna burn for you.

Context is so important. 

When you watch a video that clearly illustrates a white woman exploiting her privilege to threaten a Black man and you, as a member of said minority, go ahead to make a point about the use of phone cameras as a provocation tool, that is victim blaming.

Victim blaming does not necessarily always look like the textbook definition of solely pointing fingers at the victim. It can look like the twisting, back-breaking manipulation of the story and its context(s) in frantic search of a reason or excuse as to why the other party (i.e., the victim) could possibly be at fault. 

Call out racism for what it is. In these situations in particular, white people are racist with their chest. So call them out with your chest. One’s criminal record does not matter. Whether one was high, does not matter. Looking ‘suspicious’ does not matter. What matters is the fact that they are black, they are victimized, and then unfortunately, ultimately and deliberately killed. 

In the instance of a white woman exercising her unearned privilege to THREATEN a Black man by exclaiming that she’ll call the cops and say an African American is threatening her, there is no excuse that can cover that blatant act of racism. 

In the instance of a white cop KNEELING on the neck of a hand-cuffed Black man as he lay helpless, gulping for air and struggling to stay alive, there is no excuse that can cover that blatant act of racism. 

Now, dear Black man/woman who stays reaching for excuses and reasons -  those who cannot empathize with their brothers and sisters who look JUST like you: whether or not you would’ve done something different is irrelevant to the story. Whether or not you would’ve taken extra precautions is irrelevant to the story. It does not reverse the situation. It does not repair years of institutional and societal racism. It does not mend the psychological impacts that Black individuals suffer at the hands of mere cowards. And most importantly, it does not change the fact that despite thinking about what you would have or wouldn’t have done, the very same thing can be done to you. 

Because all they see is black.

Handcuffed or not. 

Intellectual or not. 

Hood on or not. 

Sober or not. 

Working class or not. 

Jogging or not. 

In your own apartment or not. 

“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.” 

The journey continues. There’s 2 more letters missing from my name.