Sharon's Anti-Racism Newsletter

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It's Been a Year
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It's Been a Year

A prose poem reflecting on 12 months of a reckoning with racism

Sharon Hurley Hall
May 24, 2021
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Hello friends, a year ago George Floyd was murdered by the police. Nothing will bring him back. In this piece, I reflect on the past year.

Image of George Floyd above white text on black background reading It's Been a Year by Sharon Hurley Hall

IT’S BEEN A YEAR

It’s been a year

Since George Floyd’s murder shook the world

Nine minutes and 29 seconds of videoed trauma

Making Black Lives Matter, but only for a moment

It’s been a year


It’s been a year

Of thousands more Black deaths

Of Karens and Amys and others

Putting Black lives in danger

It’s been a year


It’s been a year

Since the black squares covered social media

Promising much but delivering little

Then quietly returning to business as usual

It’s been a year


It’s been a year

Since diversity in companies hit the spotlight

Revealing just how white the world is

Do you suddenly believe the Black people who said it before?

It’s been a year


It’s been a year

Since more Black people spoke out

About how white supremacy had ruined their lives

Yet Black people were also silenced and suppressed

It’s been a year


It’s been a year

Of education and re-education

Relearning and unlearning

Unlocking the true keys to our Black History (which is history)

It’s been a year


It’s been a year

Since more of us joined the fray

Supporting those who’d been doing the work for decades

Learning the impossibility of educating the wilfully ignorant

It’s been a year


It’s been a year

Of testing the commitment of would-be allies

Of seeing how far they would unpack

The white supremacy within them

It’s been a year


It’s been a year

Of realizing how long the fight will be

Who will stay the course

And who will be suddenly silent

It’s been a year


It’s been a year

Of realizing that nations built on our Black backs

Won’t willingly give us our due

Not equity, not reparations, nothing

It’s been a year

Whew, chile! It’s been a year!


What thoughts are going through your head on this awful anniversary?

Leave a comment

Thanks for reading

Sharon

Are you a paid subscriber? If so, you can hear me read this poem.

Sharon's Anti-Racism Newsletter
It's Been a Year (Audio) - SARN Minis #9
Listen now (2 min) | Hello friends, as we mark the second anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, this poem I wrote to mark the first anniversary still rings true. I urge you to reflect on what has happened since and whether we could all do more. Thanks for listening, Sharon…
Read more
16 days ago · Sharon Hurley Hall

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  • I’m Still Waiting

  • Do Black Lives Really Matter?

  • Outside In — A Poem About Racism

© Sharon Hurley Hall, 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Cover photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

I am an anti-racism writer, a professional B2B writer and blogger, and co-host of The Introvert Sisters podcast. If you value my perspective, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription.

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Mitchell Allen
May 26, 2021Liked by Sharon Hurley Hall

Ain't been no crystal stair, for sure. I love the rhythm of your reflection. My own feelings border on the edges of something that is not quite despair but more at exasperation over the continued ignorance of so many human beings. Racism is the biggest cancer affecting my life, but other issues affecting ALL of us are getting more attention. Not all of that attention is positive.

Ii was just telling my wife that I feel as though none of these other issues can be resolved until we eradicate the cancer. Yet, society is popping pimples while cells metastasize. (Sorry for the oblique Jerry Seinfeld reference. I just wanted to lighten up for a minute.)

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Jennifer Sutherland
May 25, 2021Liked by Sharon Hurley Hall

It's been a year of remembering and a year of resolving.

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