The continued protests here in the States are not over only George Floyd's, Breonna Taylor's, Ahmad Arbery's, and lately Rayshard Brooks' MURDERS. Their deaths are a catalyst. A spark. The culmination of Black frustration and anger built up over decades, no CENTURIES, of constantly being ignored, used as scapegoats whenever the White populace needs a whipping boy to boost its flagging morale, discounted, and being convenient wells from which others culturally appropriate while we are told subtly that we are a worthless lot.
And this cover?
I do not know what to make of it. Is The New Yorker being sincere? Or just making a Kardashian-like move by striking while the racial iron is hot by taking advantage of a trend (being "woke" and White) while making some quick bank and acting like it gives a good goddamn?
Just like half of America these last three weeks.
That half one sees on the news begging forgiveness. The half performing foot-washings on Black people. The half draped in Kente cloth. The half pulling down Confederate statues. The half in corporate America taking black images off their products. The half crying on bended knee, saying that "it didn't know." Didn't know what? Pray tell what didn't you know? How brutal your people can be? Have been? How could you NOT know? Don't you read history books? What did you think? That we were making this mess up for shits-and-giggles? That we were just whining? Or as you love to say, "playing the race card?" So y'all needed an effin' visual? Y'all needed to see a man dying on camera for 8 minutes and 46 seconds to finally know we weren't lying? Yanno, your reaction would be comic theater at its best if it were not so disturbing and tone-deaf.
How could you NOT have known how we are treated? We live it everyday. It's in our face everyday; it has to run across yours in some form too. But knowing your low tolerance level when it comes to being confronted with your own short-comings you looked the other way probably. Well...NEWSFLASH! We are harassed daily by "Karens." We are chased and followed daily by "Brads.." We are killed daily BY OFFICERS FRIENDLY..
And let me insert here as a refresher for those in the cheap seats in the back. DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT PART YOUR LIPS TO SPEAK TO ME ABOUT BLACK-ON-BLACK CRIME. That is a whole other topic that is none of your beeswax. When you can answer why there is White-on-White crime, or any other nationality-on-any other nationality crime, MAYBE we can talk. MAYBE. Otherwise shut up. This ain't the time or the place to air your brain droppings. Okay?
As for the other half of America? Well, they aren't even part of the conversation. Which is good as WE are over listening. This other half of America though, wants to "make America great again." To bring back the "good, old days" when lynching was in vogue. When they could have a nice Sunday picnic, after church, under the same tree where a Black person was freshly swinging. And take home parts of the deceased as souvenirs! Yes. That half wants us gone in the worst way or to hush up as my grandmother would have said.
Which ain't happening.
Just like COVID-19 ain't going anywhere neither are we. Naw. This crap is biblical. For all you Evangelicals out there, or so-called "religious" folks, who shuddered and prayed against Obama those 8 years he was in office; for all of you who feared his "otherness;" for all of you who believed 45 was sent by God to deliver you from Black/Brown people; for all of you who backed 45, you know what? You signed a deal with the Devil to gain your idea of Heaven on Earth. Yeah, it is biblical AF as the kids would say. You misinterpreted your God terribly. You know what I'm talking about. That's why y'all are kneeling and crying and seeking forgiveness 'cuz it's finally dawned on you that, that God you believe in ain't pleased with the horrors y'all as a collective have inflicted on my people for 400 years in His/Her name. Former presidential candidate Marianne Williamson was an opportunist, BUT she spoke truth when she said America will never heal until it rectifies its offenses against the BLACK DESCENDANTS OF THE FORMERLY ENSLAVED. To paraphrase the words of a fellow author who'd posted on Facebook, "You had 400 years to be in your racist feelings. The grace period has run out." Oh yes. This is warfare and it's spiritual. And y'all know it and y'all are afraid.
So, Americans, the choices are...meh. but which half are you part of? The nervously, obliviously contrite or the firmly-entrenched, self-righteous nostalgic? Will you choose wisely? Can you be real for once? What I know is you better prostrate yourself before your God, not us, before time runs out. Personally, with this country's track record on doing the right thing for the right reason, I don't hold out much hope for you.
P.S. Yes this was caustic. Yes, this was biting. But it's been building for 400 years
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