This American Mess
Everyone has been forced to listen to white people for 400 hundred years. Now look at us. If we listened to Black women, we wouldn’t be in this mess.
Throughout American history, Black women have taken on the role of nurturers and caregivers of families. Since slavery, we’ve raised white children and supported white households in every aspect of life, feeding, teaching, and loving white children like our own. Then, after working for white people, we have had to find the strength to care for our own families, in the very homes that we are oppressed in. This burden of caring for America’s families has followed Black women for centuries.
Black women have been activists too, leading many political movements for years. Whether it’s Harriet Tubman, the leader of the underground railroad, or Kamala Harris, as the first Black woman Vice Presidential candidate, at every stage of our nation’s history, Black women have been involved in society, and we’ve delivered. Most significantly, Black women have been depended upon when voting. Using our single greatest right as an American citizen, the Black woman’s vote has made a difference in many elections, especially at desperate times. Voting is the best option we have to save ourselves and our families from obstacles that make our lives so hard. Thus, our will to fight. We pray that our existence gets better. We are not trying to be saviours of mankind, but our efforts incidentally save other people too.
Resilience is the ability to not just bounce back, but to move fluidly through difficult experiences, obstacles and setbacks, adapting and adjusting, moving forward and growing. In the New York Times’ Resilience series, contributing author Eilene Zimmerman said, “An individual’s resilience is dictated by a combination of genetics, personal history, environment and situational context.” Black women rely on resilience more than any other quality. It’s one most people would argue is essential to success in life. Black women regularly face adversity as race, gender, and other identities converge. Since we were young, we were always told we had to do better, achieve more, and aim higher, so we could have a chance in society. Our resilience has served us well for a lifetime.
Political activist, philosopher, and author Angela Davis said, “Black women have had to develop a larger vision of our society than perhaps any other group. They have had to understand white men, white women, and black men. And they have had to understand themselves. When Black women win victories, it is a boost for virtually every segment of society.”
And, that is why I am lifting my voice at this time in America. We need a boost, because we are in desperate need of some victories.
About 15 years ago, when I was feeling burdened and under appreciated, my mom said to me, “Stop whining. God made certain soldiers for certain things and you have to know the soldier God made you to be. Everyone is not like you.” I realize that now. I’m reminded every day of my differences.
Like many Black women throughout history, I’ve experienced a lot of trials in society. For over 53 years, to gain any ground in life amongst white dominance, I’ve had to adjust to the environment. I’ve tempered my emotions to suit others, had to excessively explain myself, and maneuvered through more obstacles than anyone else, simply because of the aggression other identities display towards Black women. The core of my foundation was built on love and respect for myself and others, leading with morals, decency and values rooted in my faith. Black women depend on our faith. It fortifies us as we travel shaky grounds, only relying on ourselves and our God. I’ve become a chameleon of sorts, synthesizing with my environment, knowing my strengths and weaknesses, studying any threats, assessing dangers and traps, out of necessity.
My beliefs and values are fairly congruent with many non-white people, but the contrasts with white American values have been the most stark. When I’ve been raised to be compassionate, honest, forgiving, and empathetic to all humans, white Americans seem to operate conversely. They think and feel as if equality leads to a decrease in their status. White people do not seem as impacted by human suffering. So, they take no responsibility for their ancestors’ oppression and are too comfortable with the benefits of generational power and wealth, that which expands inequality. The white supremacy model has worked for the people it was supposed to work for. It still works very well today. But there are devastating effects of white supremacy and capitalism, which are intertwined, and the impact on humanity has now been exposed.
Black women have had years of experience handling “mini pandemics.” To survive them, you have to face the hard reality of your existence. You have to realize your existence has context, history, and a future.
For centuries, white people have practiced global colonialism, the subjugation of one people to another. White supremacy is rooted in this practice, one that oppresses others, manipulates systems, spreads misinformation, diverts blame, consolidates power, and accumulates wealth, all to further a nationalist agenda. This exclusive structure is pervasive in every area of American life. From classrooms to boardrooms, from our neighborhoods to the White House, white Americans continue to lead every scheme, designed to advantage no one else but themselves.
Hate, ignorance, greed and capitalism are killing us all. We are facing some of the greatest hardships of our lifetime right now. The challenges we are experiencing have brought our country to its knees. What’s so great about America when everyone is suffering? We are the laughing stock of the world. Our fate is in the hands of indecent and arrogant white people.
Our leaders have failed us. The well-being of others should be prioritized and equal opportunity for all should reign supreme. We need to make changes before more damage is done. They’ve hurt themselves, unintentionally, because even after years of accumulating power and wealth, they are morally bankrupt, a currency no longer valuable to anyone. Their willful and convenient ignorance is catching up. Burying our heads in the sand at this moment is not an option. Black women know this inflection point very well; our oppressors know we know too. The white leaders are weak and their distress is showing. They are losing battles and soldiers, one-by-one. So, now is the time to seize this rare opportunity to correct the wrongs and abolish the systems that have enslaved most human beings. You cannot simply reform the systems. We have to get rid of them and make new ones.
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Like the trailblazers and advocates of our past, Black women have always used their voices for change. Everyone needs to join us and do the same.
People (and not just Black people) all over the world have been protesting and organizing themselves for this fight against racism. Everyone needs to find their resolve, pick a lane, and get to work fighting with us. This society has multiple needs to address. We need to battle racist people and white supremacy. Educate yourself about our country and its institutions. Ignorance is a choice, a burden that can become catastrophic in our efforts. It’s difficult to change anything without knowledge. Create a plan for yourself to learn. Educating others is part of my purpose. I am constantly challenged to find the right balance between compassion and my truth, so as to draw people in. There are a lot of ways to learn and grow. Be the leaders of your families on this mission.
Forget all the chatter about online misinformation, Russian trolls, propaganda, voter suppression, lies, and spin. We already know the objectives of the opposition. The white people still opposing equality are distracting us. They sense they are losing. Focus and ignore the noise. Vote! You should never miss an election. When good people opt-out, we allow hate to win. This is a history we cannot afford to repeat.
We need new national leadership, one that more accurately reflects the morality, strength, and diversity of our nation. White-dominated organizations and corporations, with histories of white supremacy, need to diversify, starting at the top with their boards and executive teams. Addressing the imbalances in these structures will organically impact employees and customer experiences alike. As they exist, they are a threat.
Our educational system is an embarrassment, the unequal distribution of resources and access uniquely oppress children of color. Education is a right, not a privilege, and its inequities need to be addressed. Just like education, health-care is gravely lacking, the unfairness glaringly obvious. Every human being should have access to affordable health care in some way. I’m dumb-founded that we have to debate this.
The abuses in our justice system are abhorrent, attacking humanity on every front. Justice under the law is a societal ideology that has been part of our legal system for centuries. But, our manipulated systems do not apply it equally to all people. White people are held less accountable for their illegal actions. Their unchecked behavior and lesser consequences promote more offenses to society. This issue of injustice sparked an international movement. It is the largest in our lifetime. It spurred me to take action, because after four centuries, we are tired of the inequities. Everyone is losing and white Americans are proving they don’t have the intellectual capacity or human interest to correct it.
I’ve reflected on the “soldier I was made to be.” It wasn’t easy facing myself and my purpose. But, instead of building walls to protect myself and my family, I realized the humble gift of honesty, love and kindness to all people that I’ve been given. And, like other moments in my past, helping others helps me too. This mutual respect for each other is needed at the moment. Our lives, stories, perspectives, the good and bad, when honestly told, fortify all of our souls to change this country for the good of all people. Black women may be resilient and strong, but we are incapable of fixing any of this on our own. We need everyone’s graceful voice and perspective.
Maya Angelou, in her famous poem and anthem for Black female oppression wrote, “You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise!” Black women are rising because we’ve endured and survived the most from the aggression in society. What was meant to harm us made us stronger, more agile, and more prepared for pandemic-proportion times. And, as the historical caretakers of America’s families, we will never fight hate with hate. It’s not in our blood. It's against our faith and contrary to our authentic self to treat others poorly, because we know how it feels to be treated in such a way.
A white, male protester carried a sign during the Black Lives Matter movement, acknowledging his truth, “If we listened to Black women, we wouldn’t be in this mess.” It’s ironic that some white men are trying hard to keep Black women down while others march to raise us up. It’s time for new voices to be heard, ones representing all groups, so we can make lives more equal. Let’s listen to each other, use our collective skills and talents, to get us past this distress. The current political and social climate will become much worse if we don’t take a stand.
White people are projected to be the racial minority by 2045, a time when our country will be more mixed. We should fix the unfairness now. Or, we can wait 25 more years. That’s nothing compared to the 400 hundred years we’ve withstood, making incremental gains. Most of us will still be alive, wasting more energy and resources with superficial changes. Because it is what it is, and it’s a mess.
