So I want to tell you something from my little white corner of the Internet that you may not be aware of. Racism kills, and not just in the types of violence that makes the news. The stress of being a Person of Color in America has shown to have effects on blood pressure. (1/?)

"Moderators that strengthened the relation included sex (male), race (Black), age (older), education (lower), and hypertensive status. Perceived discrimination was most strongly associated with nighttime ambulatory blood pressure, especially among Blacks." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5756074/

Not only does racism affect blood pressure, it affects mental health, too. The microaggressions like touching someone's hair, asking if their baby's father is in the picture, assuming they're an intern when they're your coworker, these build up to a lifetime of invalidation. (3)

I could literally write a doctoral dissertation on this and I wouldn't be saying anything new. Racism kills. Believe People of Color when they say something hurts them. (Looking at you, doctors!) But also you, followers. #DefundThePolice #DefundICE (end)