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I would be lying if I said I live in constant fear every time I go outside. The thing that I do carry with me every time I leave the house is the warnings and guidance from my parents, my aunts and uncles, my cousins, my mentors....
...Warnings that I will not be treated the same as a white person if I ask a women walking her dog in the park to follow the rules and put a leash on it. Which may lead to her calling the police and telling them she's, "being harassed by a large Black man"....
...That I won't be viewed the same as a white person when I go for a jog. Which may lead to me be hunted down and killed like an animal...
...and when a police officer has his knee on my neck, and I tell him I can't breathe. There's a chance he will not heed my words, which means I won't be coming back to my parents, aunts uncles, cousins, and mentors...
I choose not to live in fear when I leave the house. I can't choose my skin color, and I can't choose how people view me when I'm doing the same things any person would do regardless of skin color....
...But I do carry a heightened level of awareness when I step through the door. I do say no thank you when some of my white friends ask me to do certain things or go certain places, based on what I think the likelihood of race coming into play is....
...No I don't live in constant fear. I just know that because of my skin color not everyone will value my life. So I always keep that in the back of my head. This is the reality for all POC. God created us the same, but some people don't view us the same...
...Keep that in mind when you are tweeting about George Floyd and other injustice. Tweets aren't enough. Please take time to further understand what it's like to be a POC...
...Understanding what it's like to be someone else, is an important tool in changing how people are viewed. So be someone that helps change perception not only through a tweet, a post, or donations. But with enough knowledge to help change people's views for good.
