For a long time, I thought I could not really express myself on the topic of race. I did not feel legitimate because I am surrounded by a lot of white people in my personal life and my experiences have not been as dramatic as for other people. But l learnt that whatever degree of racism I have experienced or whatever my upbringing is, I am a Black woman living in a White world, therefore I have to make my voice heard.
The US have been my home country for a few years, and I tied the knot with it. So, the country’s issues are dear to my heart.
The last weeks have been very difficult as it brings up a lot of mix feelings and emotions. It opens a lot of wounds that never seem to close and a trauma that you often try to bury to keep your sanity.
But the murder of George Floyd, and so many others before him, cannot be in vain. It must be acknowledged, punished and justice must be served.
And now the world needs to understand that those protests are not only about police brutality but also about Black and Brown people being fed up by the way they have been treated for generations in all walk of life. This is about basic Human Rights and Justice on all level of our society.
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Yes, America’s use of violence towards Black and Brown people is incomparable. But to people in Europe or other parts of the world that are quick to point the finger at one country only; we also want you to look at your history and present and see how you can do better. You also need to understand that your country is not immune against racism and violence. And if you do not think so, then you are probably White.
Europe must take its responsibilities as White Americans are its descendants and slavery started there. It is Europeans old mentalities that are still living within White Americans but also White Europeans.
So, for people living in the EU, the outrage that is now sparking worldwide is because Black people, everywhere, are demanding to be treated equally by you as well. We want to be seen and heard and tell that we have enough of this behaviour toward us and that for things to change it is time for you to acknowledge that the issue is yours as well.
I grew up and was raised in France, I lived in the US and now in the UK; and unfortunately, racism is present in all of them. It is taking different shapes, forms and degrees of violence but it is still there.
So, as long as you live in denial, think it does not concern you and that you are not part of the conversation then nothing will ever change.
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It is about understanding that your microaggressions, white privilege, cultural appropriation, white saviour behaviour and superiority complex are your traumas not ours. We should not have to pay the price with our dead bodies for it. You brought this upon yourself, you had a choice while we did not. So now you can either look away because it is more convenient and comfortable. Or you can choose to finally face the problem, learn and do better.
Also, it is not because you have Black friends or love Black culture that you are not racist because unfortunately, the most insidious expressions of racism are often with or towards your Black friends.
And posting a picture of George Floyd on social media is a start but it is not enough. It is about questioning and asking yourself: how have I been part of the problem? what can I do better? how can I be part of the change? How do I break the cycle? Yes, it requires constant work but that is the only way forward.
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For too long, Black people lets White society define what it thinks we are, thinking it was okay, but we are done letting it define us.
We are done being defined as uneducated, violent, uncivilised, aggressive, insensitive, wild, unworthy because this description is only true in your world. To convince yourself and justify that your inhuman acts of colonisation, slavery, apartheid, segregation, discrimination and exclusion are none of the above.
We are done having to comply to your one-view/one-vision world where you never make much efforts to expand your horizon and are totally uneducated about other people’s culture and experiences. Expecting us to adapt to yours.
The truth is that despite all the pain and the suffering that was caused by you, we tried over and over again to ask you peacefully to see us as Human beings. As the smart, loving, funny, joyful, thoughtful, caring, magical, compassionate and forgiving people that we are. And your repeated silence just show how you took us for granted.
The truth is those protests are the outcry of a worldwide nation, that is finally saying No:
-NO to living by your rules only; by your single and closed-minded view, by your lack of adaptability,
-NO to constraining our thoughts to make you look more educated,
-NO to hiding our feelings to not make you feel uncomfortable,
-NO to being pay less to make you feel more valued,
-NO to being in constant battles with society’s thought about our real value,
-NO to always shutting down our dreams, desires, pains and struggles to accommodate your needs,
-NO to never be represented anywhere like if we do not exist,
-NO to shutting our mouth when you attack us because we do not want to make a scene, be called angry and upset your feelings,
-NO to growing up knowing you are not the right kind of different/pretty/intelligent,
-NO to never be fully understood,
-NO to having to fit a mould that will never fit because your experiences are not ours,
-NO to the self-hatred that resulted from your twisted system,
-NO to seeing us as a crime against humanity.
No to what being Black means today and has meant for too long. No to what we must do daily since the day we were born to not disturb your forced system. No to owning the broadest spectrum of human emotions and yet be denied all our Human Rights.
We are not okay. It is time for you to show that if you really care about ALL of us, you will not stay silent anymore; you will do the work and stand with us. Stand when you see something unfair happening, when you hear something inappropriate, when you say something wrong and the same apply when you are not in the presence of a Black or Brown person.
So, to anyone who wants to take action, now is the time to understand that to solve a problem all parties must want to find a solution.
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“In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist” – Angela Davis
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You can donate
US- George Floyd Memorial Fund by His Brother
UK- Anti-racism organisations
FR- Justice pour Adama Traoré
You can learn
EN- How to be Anti-racist by Ibram X. Kendi
EN- White Fragility: why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism by Robin DiAngelo
EN- Brit(ish): on race, identity and belonging by Afua Hirsch
FR- Discours sur le colonialisme by Aimé Césaire
FR- Lettre à Adama by Assa Traoré with Elsa Vigoureux
You can support
US, UK and FR-Black-owned businesses
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