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I wanted to speak my piece on what's going on and hope that folks listen.
I use the word "listen" because not everyone does this when it takes so little effort on their part.
I use the word "listen" because not everyone does this when it takes so little effort on their part.
Seeing what's happening all around us bothers me to no end because I don't see people listening to the complaints we are lodging.
If I, as a black person, say that racism is still a problem in America, why wouldn't you listen to my reasoning instead of denying my reality?
If I, as a black person, say that racism is still a problem in America, why wouldn't you listen to my reasoning instead of denying my reality?
If I say to you that my first experience buying a house in Georgia was watching every single white family living in the initial part of the subdivision put up for sale signs as more and more black people bought houses in the second part, why wouldn't you listen?
If I say to you that a cop once pulled me over simply to ask me if I owned the car my wife and I were driving in, why wouldn't you listen?
If I say to you that, as a child, I was called "nigger Neville" so many times in my neighborhood that it became a nickname of sorts, why wouldn't you listen?
The word listen carries with it some implications for the person being spoken to... that said person hearing you will attempt to comprehend what they were hearing. This is one of the problems with our current state of affairs.
You hear, but you don't listen.
You hear, but you don't listen.
Millions of your fellow countrymen want you to listen to them and perhaps more importantly, feel their pain. We aren't dreaming up these scenarios and passing them off in order to make you feel guilty, we've actually experienced them.
Take two minutes out of your day and listen to these two men speak...
Did you hear the pain in their voices?
Do they sound like they were making it up? https://twitter.com/AntonioFrench/status/1266960975124717568?s=20
Did you hear the pain in their voices?
Do they sound like they were making it up? https://twitter.com/AntonioFrench/status/1266960975124717568?s=20
This took place in Forsyth county Georgia in 1987 (I live maybe a mile away currently), do you really think all of this type of thinking has totally dissipated in the 30 years since? https://twitter.com/DanielNewman/status/1268977713068605445?s=20
I'm sure you've seen this video, but listen to the inherent power the white woman feels she has over the black man in it... what would make her think that she has that much power over him in this situation? In 2020 no less? https://twitter.com/melodyMcooper/status/1264965252866641920?s=20
I listen to people say why is it that when cops kill white men, it garners less coverage than when cops kill black men? Do they not know the history of the country they live in? No? Then please read up on why this coverage gap persists... https://twitter.com/ericabuddington/status/1266531249914601472?s=20
We want you to listen because not every incident will be caught on film like Arbery, or Floyd, or Scott, or Garner. How many incidents aren't filmed, how many are covered up as was attempted in the Arbery case?
"Racism is not getting worse, it's getting filmed" - Will Smith
"Racism is not getting worse, it's getting filmed" - Will Smith
Too many people talk at us, instead of listening to us. The common retort is to tell us to fix black on black crime whenever we dare mention bigotry as if the two issues are exactly the same and we only care about the latter.
We are angry because all too often our cries for justice fall on deaf ears, most all of your fellow black Americans know a George Floyd. We need you to be just as angry about what happened to him as you are about the rioting all over the country. Listen to the pain.
I am 46 years old, the Civil Rights Act passed 9 years before I was born. Much has improved since that bill passed, but we are telling you that there is much that hasn't, will you listen to us?
You don't have to buy the entirety of the Black Lives Matter political agenda to listen to what is being said. Black. Lives. Matter. Don't ignore the message because you dislike the messenger.
There is a gap that needs closing between white and black people in this country and it'll take time to close it. If you want to help close that gap, turn around and listen to the person attempting to talk to you. Don't lecture, listen.
Listening to us is the first step you can take to help us reach equal ground. Being heard (and listened to) goes so far in developing relationships, and with relationships comes trust. And trust is the building block that helps end bigotry.
I hope you read this thread with an open heart and mind and I hope you see it as coming from a true place. Not as one assigning guilt, but as one looking to form a bond.
We are all brothers and sisters in the eyes of God, we need to start acting like it. Thank you.
We are all brothers and sisters in the eyes of God, we need to start acting like it. Thank you.
