Living While Black! RIP Ahmaud Arbery

Have you ever been afraid to go somewhere new? Not knowing whether or not you can go for a run outside, or you won’t visit a place because you fear for your life? I don’t know how many times I have been worried, scared, cautious when the police pull up behind me, not knowing who that officer is, or what they want, if they are white, probably a racist. I have done nothing wrong, besides walking while black. ( That’s a dangerous crime! ) How many times have you been accused of doing something wrong, just because of your skin color? I know I’m afraid every time I go outside by myself, even to the grocery store, let alone go for a run with a hoodie and a mask on. Can we live outside anymore?

vandals, etc. But skating isn’t inherently evil! It’s a perfect sport and community for people who don’t quite fit into the status quo of society, kind of like black people, we don’t really fit in. But we sure do stand out! We look like murderers, drug dealers, vagabonds, joggers, idiots… you name it society has us pegged as the bottom feeding social class that has ruined the lives of everyone we come across. I can tell you, more white people in my life have ruined things for me than any black person. I’ve been accused of throwing rocks at people, while me and my friends skate through the city, I’ve been accused of playing loud music in my car… “ no officer, my music wasn’t loud, as you can see there’s no stereo… And no I didn’t steal this car. '' bought and paid for, yeah I know it’s hard to believe a young black man works for their money, to struggle to pay rent, go to school, and try to make it in this world, and still keep their soul. When I was a young boy, I went to visit my family in South Carolina, they didn’t live in the best neighborhood, but my brother and I definitely wanted to blow up fireworks. It was the 4th of July after all. Well, we snuck outside and lit some works, but was found shortly after and was told we couldn’t go outside alone. I didn’t know why for a very long time, except that it might be dangerous and we could get kidnapped, a common story parents tell children and rightly so. But today, I certainly understand the finite existence of a black youth out on their own.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

 

    Black people, we still can’t go to a gas station alone, we still can’t go jogging alone, you need a buddy. Practice the buddy system make sure that buddy is one of your white friends. Two black people are worse than one! Now you are assembling and that’s even more dangerous.The world is still a mess, it will stay a mess for some time. Some people like to say oh, I don’t see color… Well you should, you should know the struggle, or at least acknowledge it, don’t discount my experience, by ignoring the fact that i'm black. The next time you go jogging think about how easy it is for you to just go outside, and say hi to your neighbor, say hi to the community without being afraid that the next person you see might just want to kill you.

 Tell the world or at least a friend if this has helped you, help someone else.