Lecia Michelle: If you want to call me divisive because I talk about race, I'm here for all of it. [View all]

Last edited Thu May 17, 2018, 10:33 PM - Edit history (1)

https://medium.com/LeciaMichelle/if-you-want-to-call-me-divisive-because-i-talk-about-race-im-here-for-all-of-it-55822d459f3a

Even when deadly encounters are caught on tape, such as the case with Philando Castile, you all can’t help but make excuses. Why was he carrying a weapon? (He had a permit); Why didn’t he just comply? (He did); Why did he reach for his gun? (He didn’t). If you asked any of these questions, then yes, you’re divisive. And I’m putting you with the group of white people that are beyond hope. Why? Because you don’t even have the decency to sympathize with his girlfriend and his daughter, both of whom witnessed his murder. No. You’re too busy defending the police. You won’t even entertain the idea that Philando was a victim of a racist policeman. You would rather choke than ever admit that.

I’m tired of wasting my time with you. And if you think I’m just talking about Trump supporters, you’re wrong. I don’t even deal with that breed of racist anymore. I’m talking about those “nice white people” who claim that they’re liberal progressives. You know who you are. You wear a pink pussy hat. You say you’re not racist but stay silent when you witness racism because you don’t want to get involved. You don’t publicly denounce people like me, but online you’ve got your mantra down. “We all need to come together.” Or “It’s people like you who are making racism worse.” Or my favorite one because it’s just so damn stupid: “If we stopped talking about race, then racism would go away.” That’s like saying if we stopped treating cancer, the disease would cure itself.

THAT is divisive.

So if you think that slapping that label on black people who speak about racism will silence us and prevent you from experiencing further discomfort, you’re wrong. We’ve been called far worse, so what’s one more uninformed label? If you really want to join the fight against racism, then you stop being divisive. And racist. And defensive. And willfully dumb. Listen to what we have to say, and stop trying to tell us how to interpret our own lived experiences.