Ending White Silence with Every Breath
As a mother of three daughters, I have struggled with what to say to them today, yesterday, last week, and the week before. On behalf of my daughters, I have navigated various forms of racism, and each time I get caught up in my emotions of sadness, anger, and outrage.
Earlier this week, on #blackouttuesday, I could not bring myself to blackout my profiles because I felt strongly that this is not the time to be silent for a single second. I believe that now is the time for white people’s voices to be stronger and louder.
White people need to speak every day. White people need to act every day. White people need to stop being paralyzed by fear because of worry about what white friends will think. White people need to stop saying, “I will never understand what it is like to be black.”
Because what that says to me is that you don’t care enough to try. I wonder, how many have really tried to get educated by black authors, leaders, and speakers — Ralph Ellison, Ta-Nehisi Coates, or Toni Morrison, just to name a few?
I wonder how many have sat in silence and listened to the audio of Trayvon Martin sobbing as he takes his last breaths?
I wonder how many have cried one time this week for George Floyd? Did you watch his 9-minute execution?
I wonder, how many more George Floyds, Eric Garners and Ahmaud Arberys will it take.
With every breath that I take, I think about my daughters — the mistreatment of black men, women, and children in America. I am so heartbroken that this is our reality.
I am so incredibly scared when I think about my daughters and how my role as their mother is to show them how to lead with love in the face of hatred. To know their worth and value as not only women but as human beings. To always act with kindness and respect, even when confronted with ugliness.
I stand with all those who have faced racism. I stand with my family and my daughters. We will be fighting this fight for the rest of our lives. I will never let this go. I promise to do more. Will you?
