In the wake of yet another incident where an unarmed Black man was shot by the police, I wrote this. Believe it or not, it was going to be an essay, then it took a turn. That happens.

I’m Still Waiting

It's been 3 months since George Floyd

and here we are again.

In that time, many others have died

unremarked by the headlines

and therefore by us

That's why I'm still waiting

for Black lives to matter

I'm still waiting

for Black people to be able to walk tall at work,

knowing that they will be valued appropriately, or at least equally

Knowing that nobody will touch their hair, question their education, or doubt their experience

I'm still waiting

to walk into every shop and be a valued customer

not to feel the question mark above my head

while sensing the suspicious breath of the security guard

I'm still waiting

for the day when I don't have to have the talk

about how to survive an encounter with the US police

and emerge both alive and free

I'm still waiting for being Black NOT to be a crime

so we can own nice things and live in nice places

without being questioned or arrested

I'm still waiting to see real action affirm Black people's rightful place

in countries built on our blood sweat and tears

and I mean that literally

I'm still waiting for healthcare, housing and education

to offer Black people equal care and attention, equal opportunity

and an equal chance of not just surviving, but thriving

I'm still waiting for reparation and redress

didn't my ancestors earn it

several times over?

I'm still waiting to throw off the shackles

for society to remove the straitjacket

that keeps us bonded though no longer enslaved

I'm still waiting for Martin Luther King's dream

to wake, within us all

but I think I'll be waiting a long, long time

so, I'm still waiting for Black lives to really matter

I'm still waiting to be free

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© Sharon Hurley Hall, August 2020.

Sharon Hurley Hall is an anti-racism writer, a professional B2B writer and blogger, and co-host of The Introvert Sisters podcast.

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