If you come home and your house is on fire, you call the fire department to hose it down? What if upon their arrival, they tell you all houses matter. Then proceed to spray every house down before getting to yours, the house that is burning to the ground. You wouldn’t think that’s fair because your house was the only one on fire.

You go to the doctor because you broke a bone and you need to examine it. While you’re complaining about the pain, the doctor stops you and says “I know you’re in pain, but there are 206 bones in the body. All bones matter” and proceed to check out every other bone in your body before the one that’s broken. That would NOT be fair because only one bone is hurting at the moment.

No one is saying the other houses don’t matter, no one is saying the rest of your bones don’t matter. Right now your house is the one that’s on fire, and that specific bone is the one that is broken. Wouldn’t it be smart for the doctor or the firemen to focus on the issue at hand? See how easily we can all understand these analogies, I would like everyone to apply the same mindset to #BlackLivesMatter.

The most common misconception is that we are saying all lives don’t matter, that’s not what the BlackLivesMatter movement is saying. We are aware that every life matters, whether your Black, White, Spanish, Asian, etc. What we are saying is there is a problem occurring to a lot of Black Lives, and for some reason, AmeriKKKa needs reminding that our lives matter as well.

So let me put in simple terms what it is like to be Black in Amerikkka:

Being black in America is seeing cops on the street and instead of feeling safe, walking to the other side. It’s keeping an eye on their weapons even when you haven’t done anything wrong. The same cops that are meant to make people feel safe are killing people of color at an alarming rate.

Being Black in America is being a child playing with a toy gun and dying, but parents being livid when tv networks for children stand in solidarity. If my young child can be killed for playing cops and robbers, your child can stand to learn what racism does to people.

Being Black in America is wondering if today might be the day you’re stopped and killed for a traffic ticket, for being licensed to carry, coming home from your bachelor’s party, sleeping in your home, going for a jog, walking home with skittles, welcoming the New Year, shopping at Walmart, taking out your wallet…oh are you tired of reading? We’re tired of dying.

We are not here to belittle people, we are here to get justice and achieve peace. This has nothing to do with hate for ‘the white man’ or hate for ‘pigs.’ We just don’t appreciate it when you make hashtags like #alllivesmatter and #bluelivesmatter not because they don’t matter, but because they’re not what we need to focus on right now. Cops aren’t walking outside their house and dying just for being a cop. Cops are not taught how to comply with authority so they won’t get a bullet in the chest. While every single person could die walking out of the house today, the chances are higher for a black person.

Please check your privilege, whether you are white, white-passing, or Latinx, PLEASE check your privilege and find out ways you can help the movement. DO NOT be an Amy Cooper, be a Jane Fonda, find out ways you can use your privilege. If you are unaware of how to help, here are some great places to start:

Learn: The official home to the Black Lives Matter Movement

Donate: The National Bail Fund to keep Protestors out of jail

Petition: Sign the Petition Demanding Justice For George Floyd

Text or Call

I do not support the looting, I do not support the blatant disrespect for peaceful protestors. I stand with NYers who stand with me. I stand with those who decide to peacefully protest or take action from their homes. Before I am a writer, I am a Black Woman in America and it is frightening.

Thank You,

Your Brunch loving, Tea drinking, BLACK Blogger