When They Say…

Yesterday was like a punch in the gut to me. When I got home from work, after having picked up the meal I’d dreamt about all day, I learned that Chadwick Boseman had passed. What?! I couldn’t believe it. I loved his performance as T’Challa in the movie The Black Panther. But he was now dead, how could that be? I quickly learned through social media that he’d been living with colon cancer for four years before his death. Not that I should have known, but why didn’t I?

After having seen the movie The Black Panther, I googled the actor and I’m sure I would have remembered a mention of him having cancer. But I could not. So today I’m feeling like a family member has passed. I’m really emotional and thinking of all he must have had to endure even while we as a country are still experiencing civil unrest and racism. And in light of all that, I’m hating the remembrances of When They Say to black people that we should just pull ourselves up… WE ALREADY ARE!

To think of the things We as a people have to endure on a daily basis just because of the color of our skin; then we have to show up and be a part of society as if life hasn’t already taken a hold of us from the moment we woke up. My heart is overflowing with compassion right now for ANY and EVERYONE that has had to face people AFTER they’ve had to face life on any given day.

One such day happened for me right before we were placed on lockdown. It had already been driven into me that my thoughts, opinions and words were already going to be overridden by the lies, cover-up and white privilege of those in authority over me. So when I started having health issues in my body, I chose to choose ME rather than go to work and be told to shut up. I chose to take time out and take care of myself REGULARLY so as not to experience the helplessness I felt because even if I showed up in pain, I wouldn’t be treated equally. You NEVER know what people are going through. So watch When You Say anything to or about someone when you know nothing about them, their lifestyle or culture.