Some of you all may not realize this when you meet me, but I am black. Both of my parents are black. I’m just very light skin toned.
I’ve had a lot of emotions since everything with George Floyd has happened. The death of George Floyd has hit me more than other incidents.
Like my black friends and family, I am tired of these unnecessary deaths. And like my white friends, I feel like I don’t fully understand the pain of what people are going through. I’ve been fortunate enough to not experience discrimination. Don’t get me wrong, there have definitely been times that I’ve felt more aware of being black and different, but never in a way that made me feel afraid for my life or feel like others were threatened by my presence.
I’ve been very sad lately. There is so much anger out there and it breaks my heart. My first response to all of this was the girl from Mean Girls who wants to bake a cake. Seriously, why can’t everyone just be nice and happy?!
I’m thankful for my friends that I have seen stand up for injustice by participating in protests, signing petitions, sharing good news and sharing the awful stories that help shed light on what’s really going on.
But I hate seeing people tell individuals how they should feel or how they should express themselves. It seems that people can never do the right thing. People see protests and don’t understand why they are happening. Some protesters say that if you aren’t protesting then your silence is part of the problem.
People try to participate in saying #blacklivesmatter and #defundthepolice, while others criticize those statements, and sometimes neither fully understand what they are saying. Instead of getting upset with people for not understanding, help them to understand. So much anger and sadness in the world is caused simply by poor communication.
Some people just need more time. Some people need to do some more research and educate themselves before they can go out and yell about things they don’t fully understand.
It’s okay to not know how to deal with your feelings right now, I don’t and I’ve been trying to process it all.
What you can do though is start with yourself. Know what you truly believe and what’s right for you. Become more aware of your own actions and how you can do better. We’ve probably all said or did something that was racist or insensitive without realizing it, but make yourself aware so you can change and do better.
Be open minded and learn from others. Go make friends that don’t look like you. Or just talk to someone that’s different. It’s okay if they aren’t your new BFF, but maybe it will open your eyes to a new perspective.
Don’t judge people. You never know what someone is dealing with or going through, so always treat people with kindness.
Growing up we learned about the Golden Rule – treat others how you would like to be treated. And then I learned about the Platinum Rule – treat others as they want to be treated. Right now, we need a combination of the two. Until you know the person and what they need, treat them like you want to be treated – with kindness and respect. Then, once you really get to know someone, treat them how they want to be treated so that you can have a better relationship.
Learn about yourself, do better. Learn about others, do better.
Things need to change, and change can start with you.
Be kind. Be YOU. BeYOUtiful.