It is hard to describe the bittersweet sting that many African-Americans feel witnessing this national embrace of addicts. It is heartening to see the eclipse of the generations-long failed war on drugs. But black Americans are also knowingly weary and embittered by the absence of such enlightened thinking when those in our own families were similarly wounded. When the face of addiction had dark skin, this nation’s police did not see sons and daughters, sister and brothers. They saw “brothas,” young thugs to be locked up, rather than “people with a purpose in life.”
Please don’t come up to me w/your #privileged ass saying, “But you’re not “Black, Black” or “You’re different” or “I don’t see color when I look at you”. You would still have me pushed to the back of the bus. You would still ask, “What did you do?” if a cop shot me even though I have never had a parking ticket. You would still not invite me so that your white guests would not have to feel uncomfortable. You would ask me why would I want to learn how to use a #handgun, but your white friends you would gladly run to the firing range with them and talk shop afterwards. If you don’t see my color then my plight doesn’t matter to you; then you don’t see Me.
Don’t come up to me with your privileged eyes looking at me and say, “But you’re not like ‘those’ #gays” or “you’re #different, you don’t throw it in our face”. I have felt different all my life. #Society made sure of that. I am not here to make you feel comfortable w/how I #love. I’m not here to have you tell me how to dress or express myself. To my #trans and #gender nonconforming kin, my butch #lesbian kin, my fem #gay kin…Thank you for being on the frontlines of the battle against #hate.
Don’t come up to me w/your privileged #ignorance saying, “We want to make sure you’re taking care of yourself so we didn’t invite you”. I have #HIV, & HIV does not have me! Will you please open a #book; do some research; go to a seminar; learn something! You can drink from the same glass as me, you can #hug me, you can kiss me, you can #love me. But you won’t because #AllLivesMatter is conditional.
Don’t come up to me w/your privileged #hypocrisy thinking that you need hide your valuables if I come over but if I were white dot dot dot, or saying “oh, come on, just 1 drink”. No, But I can end up losing everything by picking up the 1st one. Getting #addicts the proper #treatment only seemed to matter when the #drug problem is a #white problem. You would have me put in #jail if I were in active #addiction.
Don’t come up to me w/your privileged face saying “Go back to #Africa”. I didn’t ask your ancestors to bring mine over here. My folks are from #Haiti, I was born in the USA. Do you speak #Navajo? Go back to Europe then!
