It's Been a Year
A prose poem reflecting on 12 months of a reckoning with racism
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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.
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?
Thanks for reading
Sharon
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© 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.
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.)
It's been a year of remembering and a year of resolving.