Hello friends,
I have no wise words today. It’s all been said. All I can offer is an updated version of the poem I wrote on the one year anniversary.
IT’S BEEN THREE YEARS
It’s been three years
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
Three long years
It’s been three years
Of thousands more Black deaths
Of Karens and Amys and others
Putting Black lives in danger
Three long years
It’s been three years
Since the black squares covered social media
Promising much but delivering little
Then quietly returning to business as usual
Three long years
It’s been three years
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?
Three long years
It’s been three years
Since more Black people spoke out
About how white supremacy had ruined their lives
Yet Black people were also silenced and suppressed
Three long years
It’s been three years
Of education and re-education
Relearning and unlearning
Unlocking the true keys to our Black History (which is history)
Three long years
It’s been three years
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
Three long years
It’s been three years
Of testing the commitment of would-be allies
Of seeing how far they would unpack
The white supremacy within them
Three long years
It’s been three years
Of realizing how long the fight will be
Who will stay the course
And who will be suddenly silent
Three long years
It’s been three years
Of realizing that nations built on our Black backs
Won’t willingly give us our due
Not equity, not reparations, nothing
Three long years
Whew, chile! Three long, long years!
For me, the pace of change remains much too slow, but since the alternative is to give up, I keep going. What about you?
Thanks for reading,
Sharon
Enjoyed this article? Feel free to click the 🔄 or ❤️ button to help others discover it on Substack. Thank you!
© Sharon Hurley Hall, 2023. All Rights Reserved.
Cover photo courtesy of Canva.
I am an anti-racism educator and activist, Co-Founder of Mission Equality the author of “I’m Tired of Racism”, and co-host of The Introvert Sisters podcast.
Brilliant, on point, infuriating, heartbreaking piece of poetry. You’ve managed to sum up precisely what I’ve been feeling lately. These lines especially:
----
Since the black squares covered social media
Promising much but delivering little
Then quietly returning to business as usual
&
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
---
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and reminding us that despite the frustration expressed, we must continue on. ✊🏾
What has changed is that things are more grave: https://www.dhs.gov/ntas/advisory/national-terrorism-advisory-system-bulletin-may-24-2023
I'm not feeling very hopeful, watching the extremists in Congress behaving in a way that greenlights all the worst behaviors in our society.