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on this Black History Month Eve, i want non-Black allies (and even corporations) to take inventory to how they regard Blackness the other 11 months of the year. last June, we saw brands and people throw themselves behind Black folks then do approximately zero leg work (1/10)
or, they abandoned it soon after altogether. celebs posted Black squares June 1, took the summer off, then came back to rag on Georgia (Black voters) to get rid of Trump, and have gone back to business as usual. why haven’t y’all pushed for more diversity & inclusion? (2/10)
why do you partner with brands that don’t elevate our voices, let alone include us in a financially fair, mutually beneficial partnership? why do y’all hang out with, date, and associate with people who perpetrate antiBlackness? (3/10)
do y’all say #ProtectBlackWomen & #BelieveBlackWomen, but when Black women come to y’all for support, mutual aid, resources, even just to be uplifted, y’all make us seem like we’re angry, aggressive, lying, or asking for the most while giving nothing back? we give our ALL. (4/10)
in what ways has your life shifted to make Black people not only feel safe around you, but to trust that you have our best interests at heart, will protect us, and work tirelessly for our elevation? how have you sacrificed so that others may gain? (5/10)
how are you walking the walk? how are you showing up? how are you supporting? how are you signal-boosting? are you patting yourselves on the back after? are you centering your discomfort in our expressions of hurt? do Black people have to coddle you before we tend to us? (6/10)
have you removed micro-aggressions from your vocabulary? because, hint, hint, there’s no such thing. they’re all violent—intentionally so—and need to be addressed then eradicated. (7/10)
do you realize Blackness comes in all shades, sizes, socio-economic castes, and experiences? do you realize that wearing Black hairstyles is violent because we are not allowed to do so in society? that speaking in a Blaccent is harmful? that fetishizing us is violence? (8/10)
do you know many things you enjoy about non-Black people in culture/society, they’ve appropriated from us, then squeezed us out of the narrative? are you listening to dark-skinned Black people, queer Black people, and disabled Black people to understand, not to correct? (9/10)
do you realize racism is embedded and interwoven into every single thing in America, from its inception? that academic, medical, and scientific research historically excludes then harms us? do you find what i’m saying offensive? reflect. then do better beyond BHM. (10/10)
