There isn’t a lot I can say about the recent police/state violence against black people just trying to live without being harassed and murdered by law enforcement. It’s wrong, it’s evil, and it’s being perpetrated by our government on local and federal levels all the time. Black people are working against a tireless machine of white supremacy that’s aided not only by the state, but by the media, social media, and the inaction and indifference of white people.
I’m angry. Furious. But my anger and my fury mean absolutely nothing when compared to the pain, the frustration, the hopelessness, all of the awful that steals away the joy and safety from black people every single day. So rather than write another white person thinkpiece about how all of this affects me, me, me, and my white feelings, here are some links where other people share perspectives that are more pertinent and important. If you have any to add, leave them in the comments, but please, no links to tweet threads/Facebook posts (that aren’t your own), because there’s a hostile environment on social media right now.
In the Turmoil Over Race and Policing, Children Pay a Steep Emotional Price, Yamiche Alcindor
Michael Brown’s Mom, on Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, Lezley McSpadden
Dallas Shootings Deal Black Police Officers A Double Heartbreak, Christopher Mathias
Being a cop showed me just how racist and violent the police are. There’s only one fix., Reddit Hudson (I hesitated to link to The Washington Post after their Tweet mistakenly identifying DeRay Mckesson as the Dallas shooter, but this take was too compelling not to include it.)
Dallas is a tragedy for all of us – and shouldn’t shut down calls for justice,
Ijeoma Oluo
4 Ways White People Can Process Their Emotions Without Bringing the White Tears, Jennifer Loubriel