change.
we all seek it.
it’s what fuels us in life.
nothin’ feels better than getting from point a to b.
the protests for black injustice is a beautiful thing to see.
it gives me chills to see all of us black folks coming together to fight a common enemy.
there is an issue i have tho.
once the smoke clears and the world moves on from protesting…
Will black folks return to being nasty to each other?
some white folks and cops are playing a role during all this.
i’ve been peepin’ game on social media,
but don’t act like some of us in this community aren’t terror to each other.
Most of the straights want to be treated as equals,
but can’t even accept members of the gay and trans communities.
Some black gays want acceptance from everyone,
but will be toxic af to other black gays for no reason at all.
A few black folks can’t accept their skin color to date/marry/procreate within their own race.
why is this not talked about?
is protesting just “trendy” for some of these folks?
i can understand if someone is a doofus.
we drag many doofuses within the communities,
but we seriously need to get rid of the crab in the barrel mentally that plagues us.
the one that white folks ingrained in us to keep us held down.
…Maybe I’m different?
growing up in barbados helped me see black folks as equals.
we are the majority on that island so it was easy for me to really love my people,
regardless of the flaws they may have had.
maybe,
as i’m learning about myself through all of this,
i’m hoping others are doing the same.
many are holding up fists,
flooding ig timelines with everything “black lives matter”.
and demanding for white folks to wave the white flag,
but those same black folks are disgusting to other black folks.
there are people i know that are doing this and all i’m thinking:
You are so full of shit.
outside of all this virtual protesting they’re doing,
some of them are/were nasty af to me and others.
how are you gonna be fighting for black lives matter,
when you have single handedly ruined other black lives within your community?
hmm.
if we are gonna ask for better,
some of us gotta be better.
so i hope real change in all sides comes.
imagine doing all of this,
only to return back to square one,
no change or growth.
imagine.
low-key: some people are only protesting because its “the in thing to do”.
their social media reputations depend on it.
this is for all races.
some of these folks will return back to their ridiculous bullshit in a week or two.
Beautiful post, JamariFox. One thing we have to do is not “return back to square one, no change or growth. But that has to be a multilayered and ongoing form of change in which we tackle racism and all the other isms, including oppressive capitalism, head on. Also, underscoring that every Black life matters and is precious, including those of we who are LGBTQIA people, Black poor people, Black women, etc. is key. It cannot be, We say one thing about how we love Black people and do another. But at the core of it is self-acceptance, self-love, and self-affirmation, of all of us, not just some of us.
low-key: some people are only protesting because its “the in thing to do”.
their social media reputations depend on it.
this is for all races.
some of these folks will return back to their ridiculous bullshit in a week or two.
Coming to your church tomorrow Jamari. You’re preaching.
imagine doing all of this,
only to return back to square one,
no change or growth.
imagine….(Jamari Fox)
That my friend are the most powerful words said this week. This is exactly what will happen 😪😪SMH
2020 has been a “Real Motha for Ya” I am like damn what next. What I always see is bandwagon people jumping on whatever thing is hot at the moment; sadly Social Media rules so many people lives in our society at this time. I have seen many people still turn this moment into ways to garner likes and attention for themselves. I already know that this energy is going to fade and things will be back to usual before the summer is over. So many of us are damaged in so many ways in Black America both Str8 and Gay that it is going to take a total shift to ever even come close to addressing our issues and I know that will probably not take place in my lifetime. These systems in America are gone have to come crashing down and everybody start over on an even playing field if this Shit is ever going to be right in this country. The snow people are like trapped caged animals, they are not going to go down easy and give up their privilege many of them know that they will only have to give us a little to appease us and its business as usual. I hope I am wrong and real change can come about not only in erasing all this Bullshit in our country but how we treat one another as a people. I guess I will just have to wait and see.
It’s weird to me when y’all do this. It sounds like y’all are excusing the deaths of black men & black women at the hands of white people just because we’re not perfect.
Would white people have cared if George Floyd was a white trans-woman? They’d be split down the middle just as much as black people.
We wouldn’t have to do all this protesting if they would just put the murderers in prison where they belong.
How’d you reach that conclusion? No one is even alluding to the indifference or glossing over the deaths and injustice of black men or women. It’s a simple fact that there are issues within our community that needs to be fixed and addressed. Yes, ALL races have issues within themselves, but that doesn’t mean that we as a black community shouldn’t fix the issues we have with one another. We can use both Justice AND Improvement.
Good post. This may be unpopular, but the church community has a large role to play in how we value members of our community, and how we take care of ourselves. The church needs to teach love and acceptance of everyone, and they need to teach mental health and not just prayer. It’s easy to say the white man ingrained all of this hate for ourselves, and that is true to an extant, but many of us get a weekly does of hate every Sunday.
Really great post Jamari. Very thought provoking. I wonder this as well from time to time. Like I’m all for fighting for justice to be done for the people of my community, but that doesn’t change or affect the issues WITHIN my community. I so agree with you to the moon and back. We personally also have to do better for our community as well. It’s not just about acquiring justice. For instance that crabs in a bucket mentality needs to be one of the first things to get fixed.
I believe we as a whole Black & POC need therapy. All of us. We have deep trauma in our blood and it’s only gotten worse over the years. We have major issues with colorism, sexuality, masculinity, mental health, & and white savior mentality. Everything white isn’t great and a come up. We do have a crabs in a barrel mentality that needs to go away as well as the colorism. We really need to start building our communities for the better and healing our communities as well as ourselves. We need to stop looking to others to give us what we want. We need to consistently protest and demand change. Get more people mayoral, governor, house and senate positions
I absolutely agree 👏 The history of this world is so dark and twisted that it has simply continued to affect generations upon generations down the line that it virtually seems impossible for true change to ever happen.
It honestly feels like a generational curse we haven’t broken yet. Collectively we would have to come together to heal that type of energy. That’s more than 300 years of anguish in our dna that hasn’t been touched.
Thank you for this post Jamari. It’s something that has bothered me for many years. And it’s not meant to take away from the absolute horror we saw in George Floyd’s death. But I can’t help but to wonder how the Black community would’ve reacted if we replaced George Floyd with a black transgender female (or gay black male) who was also a nursing student? Even our best and brightest are still considered dirt when compared to heterosexual felons who just so happen to lose their lives while committing a crime. And unfortunately Black Gays are just as guilty as the Straights in how we treat each other. Blacks within the LGBT often struggle with the duality of identity and part of me emphasizes with that, but how long will you allow yourself to be debased and devalued by others before you take action?
You’re so to the point. Black lives do matter, but when it comes to certain lives destruction is at hand. Then we kill each other w /o rationalizing. Attitudes out the roof. Overall, a reality check is needed. Some how we are going to have to get rid of the gangs and they are going to have to embrace each other not fight one another!!!