cover photo is by Alafia Adeleke, she can be found on Instagram here: @alafia.creates
I have really struggled recently on what to say. I haven’t posted in a month and I feel like nothing I write will be adequate enough to address the injustice occurring in our country and around the world at this time. I continue getting notifications that bloggers I follow have been posting their weekly blogs, not addressing the issues. I can’t do that. I can’t write about the makeup you should buy or my plans to travel to France without speaking on the racism ravaging the nation.
Several of my family members disagree with me. They say that the rioting must end and that their property shouldn’t be destroyed. I’ve lost a few relationships but I’ve also made beautiful new ones. If you don’t understand the reason behind the rioting and protesting, then you’re not attempting to address the actual problem. As white people, we don’t listen. We don’t try to see from the perspective of our Black neighbors. We claim that we stand in alliance and we are ready to listen, but are we really? I see what others are posting to their instagrams and I compare that to what I hear them say in confidence to me and I question their actual motives. I know I’m at fault as well; I should have been fighting against this inequality much longer ago.
I don’t know what to really do. I know I can continue posting so that everyone who follows me remains aware. I know that I can continue buying books to educate myself on the history of being Black in America. I know I can continue donating, setting up monthly donations. I have followed Black influencers and businesses. I encourage you to check who you are following, are any of those pages people of color? Are any of those women making money off of your views Black? Mine weren’t.
It’s time for a wake up call. It’s time for us to realize this should be a part of our daily routine, a part of our lifestyle. It should become a habit for me to donate; if you’re donating weekly to a church or a charity, have you considered sending some of that money to other things such as the Black Lives Matter movement? Bail funds? Your church doesn’t need another coffee shop.
I know I’m not doing everything perfectly, but I’m trying to do better. I’m listening to my Black friends and colleagues. I’m paying more attention to the actions of those around me. I’m trying to be brave as I confront friends on their “small” acts of racism, that are actually very large problems. And I’m open to criticism and want to know how I can continue to improve.
URBAN FLEUR 