I will not be silent about my pain

Dear September,

            As a person with a platform and a voice, I feel like it is my responsibility to use it. And I feel like it is also my responsibility to be as open and as honest as possible, otherwise I will lose my authenticity. The situation in America, and in the world actually, has passed the stage where you look to the next person to speak the truth. You, me and; everybody in between, need to do whatever we can to make this stop. Two of my best friends are young black men who live in America and I fear for them every single day. I hope that they do not say the wrong thing or look at anyone in a way that makes them uncomfortable. The system is slowly pushing me to wish that they were invisible… That being said, here goes everything…

            I am going to scream the next time I see someone use the hashtag #alllivesmatter. White people are very aware that their lives matter because they are not shot in the street every other day for merely existing. They know that their lives matter because they are not afraid and they are not threatened in any way. They know that their lives matter because they are treated like human beings and they expect to be treated this way. The same cannot be said for black people. There is no need to tell anyone that white lives matter because the status quo does that very well. When was the last time any white person had to worry about the colour of their skin? The fact that there is a need to remind people that #blacklivesmatter is sad and ridiculous and shameful. This has to stop, if two black men being shot multiple times and killed in the space of twenty four hours by the same people who vow to protect us, does not wake you the hell up, you are a part of the problem, and I do not know what will.

            Zora Neale-Hurston once said “If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.” So, as a black woman, I refuse to be silent about my pain, because as it stands, my life depends on it.