Hello again,

Yesterday a few people read my first blog and I want to first take the time to thank them.Thank you!

Now on to the topic at hand. On my Facebook page I post quite a bit on the racial injustices that people of color face when it comes to police and the judicial system, to a lot of backlash from white people.

“What about this lady that was killed by two black men yesterday?”

“What about that white guy who was killed by police?”

“There is no race problem, you’re creating one!”

First, let me say this; If your response to my speaking on racially motivated instances of police brutality or any form of injustice against people of color is to then bring up a story about a person of color committing a crime against a white person, then you are a part of the problem and you’ve missed my point entirely. By bringing up the criminal activity of a person and feeling the inexplicable need to bring up their race, you are perpetuating the idea that black people deserve what is happening to them,”its their fault”. Second, police should be held to a much higher standard than a common criminal. We, the people, pay their salaries so they can protect and serve us, not murder people in cold blood.

Now, I will never claim that white people aren’t victimized by police, but statistics show that they are mistreated far less often than people of color. Young black men are 21 times more likely to be shot and killed by police than young white men, not because they are more dangerous or violent, but because police and half of white people in America perceive them to be. There are indeed police who brutalize white people as well, but relative to our population percentage, people of color are definitely targeted far more often.

As far as me creating racial tension, I’m only 23. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but there has been racial tension in America since the first pilgrims settled here and first saw the Indigenous Americans here, right? Also, correct me if I’m wrong again, but didn’t slavery, Jim Crow, Red lining, the formation of ghettos and other racist laws create racial tension in America? So how is it I’m creating racial tension and why do white people become so angry at black people for speaking on racial injustices in America?

White people are universally pissed at the death of Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe, but are silent on the obvious unlawful shooting of Sam DuBose.Why?Is it easier to focus on the death of an animal in Africa than it is to focus on the systemic racism in America that lead up to DuBose’s death?

This morning, Ray Tensing’s lawyer (the officer who shot and killed DuBose) claimed that his client “feared for his life”. This phrase has become all too common lately when it comes to police dealing with black men. All three officers that were on the scene lied on the report stating that DuBose tried to run over and drag Tensing down the street but the body cam shows that DuBose’s car did not move until after he was shot and killed, and his body fell back and hit the gas. Lying on police reports when dealing with black men has become common as well, which is a felony charge.

I really couldn’t understand why white people take black people talking about race so personally, so I had to do quite a bit of research into this subject. This best thing i could find on the matter was an article on Huffington Post written by two white women titled 11 Things White People Need to Realize About Race. Here’s an excerpt from that article:

The conversation about race implicates you, but your voice should not be at the center of it.

As Taylor Swift learned from her recent Twitter back-and-forth with Nicki Minaj, when people of color criticize structural inequality it’s not about you, personally. Again: It’s. Not. About. You. Personally. So don’t try to make it all about you. White people need to take responsibility for the big and small ways we perpetuate racism. But often that means taking a step back and listening to the people who are impacted by racism day in and day out. If you’re going to add your voice to a dialogue — which you should — make sure you’re adding value to the conversation, and not just silencing the grievances of people of color.

I know it must be hard on white people hearing that the country they love and live in is a perpetually racist one, but imagine how hard it is being a person of color who that racism is acted on. By being angry at people of color for speaking on racial injustices in America, you are in fact backing up a racist system. Instead of taking offense to people of color speaking on racism, you should be offended that people of color still feel discriminated against. Don’t make the conversation about racism in America about you and your feelings because it takes the focus off of the real problem: racism in America.

Its exhausting trying to speak on these injustices, only then to have to turn around and coddle someone because their feelings were hurt. I’m not going to do that. No one is coddling black people in America after the murders of Sam DuBose, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice – the list is too long! If your feelings are indeed hurt by these events, then please use that anger and put it into something good like the #blacklivesmatter campaign, because we do need you. We need as many allies as we can possibly get, because systemic racism will not end if only people of color take offense to it. It takes everyone!