Black Lives Matter
Look in the mirror and tell yourself what you see.
Do you see what you expected? Perhaps a white man is staring back at you or an Asian woman. Maybe you are gazing into an African American woman’s eyes or seeing the reflection of a teenager of Persian descent. Who do you see? For me, I see the same face that is a day older than the day before, but also a day wiser. I also see a skin suit of Mediterranian tones and lots of body hair. I see the soul of a man who has been so hard to love and full of compassion. I know under the flesh wrapping, I have pink muscles, white fat, and red blood. If I were to stand fleshless next to all those people I mentioned above, I would see uniformity, commonality; I would see the same. So why is it we treat each other with such profound hate? If we all bleed red and we all breathe the same air, why on earth are we so opposed to those who don’t look like us?
I’ll be straightforward; I’m guilty of keeping biases. I’m guilty of profiling people, judging people, and sizing people up depending on their beliefs, body language, and appearances. If you’re reading this now and saying, “I’ve never done that,” you’re fooling yourself. We are all guilty of it. With all this said, I believe it is essential to recognize that we are all blameworthy of biases and that it is critical to identify our biases and correct them before it our biases permanently pollute or better judgment. It is a continuous effort throughout life, one that becomes more difficult as we age.
Do all lives matter? Absolutely, but the persecution isn’t with caucasian peoples. Today, the violence is directed at the Black community, a community that continues to endure the brunt of brutality. Today, in my world, Black Live Matter MORE. Time for a change.