Sometimes, I Can’t...
Aspects of racism may be unbelievable, but they’re very real
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Hello friends,
Here’s a little something that popped into my head on my morning walk a couple of weeks ago. You know how we say “I just can’t”? Well, here are some things I can’t believe…
Sometimes, I can't believe I have to read about another Black person dying, and I definitely can't watch the videos, so please don't send them.
Sometimes I can't believe I have to suffer another racist incident, but I do it anyway. Sometimes I'm weary of it all, and I'm not alone.
Sometimes, I can't believe the US elected a racist bully who's terrorizing the world, and how many people were prepared to let him do it again. Supposedly white supremacists are a dying breed, but it sounds to me like somebody's lying.
Sometimes I can't believe that advocating for equity and against white supremacy can get you banned on social media, but flip the switch and it's fair comment. Something’s wrong there, for sure.
Sometimes, I can't believe how many racists there are on social media, and that even on professional networks, they're not afraid to speak out.
Sometimes I can't believe that companies believe that hiring a white woman ticks the diversity box.
Sometimes I can't believe the hidden “one in one out” policy that leaves Black people alone and unsupported in some workplaces.
Sometimes I can't believe how excessively qualified Black people have to be to get the same opportunity as an unqualified white colleague.
Sometimes I can't believe I still have to explain basic facts about history to educated people who know how to use Google.
Sometimes I can't believe how many white people blame Black people for racism, a problem we didn't start and can't end.
Sometimes I can't believe how many Black people don't identify with Black people's problems, but then I remember internalized racism and I do.
Sometimes I can't believe my privilege as an educated Black woman is not enough to keep me alive in the wrong circumstances.
Sometimes I can't believe white people don't or can't see racism. Rather, many choose not to look.
Sometimes I can't believe that people can't put themselves in others' shoes and see how they would feel.
Sometimes I can't believe the mealy mouthed language that couches racism and oppression, though I guess white supremacists have had centuries of practice.
Sometimes I can't believe that nearly 200 years after the end of enslavement in the Caribbean we are still dealing with the fallout, and that those with the most privilege want us to get over it.
Sometimes I can't believe that there are still those who see equity as taking something from them.
Sometimes I can't believe that we still have to argue that racism and equity are human rights issues and not political ones.
Sometimes I can't believe that even though the world is better for some Black people, it's not better enough.
Sometimes I can't believe I have to write about this again, but I must, or how will it end?
I must believe one day racism will end, but sometimes I can't.
Thanks for reading. I’d love to hear your feedback.
© Sharon Hurley Hall, 2020. All Rights Reserved.
Cover photo courtesy of Canva.
I am an anti-racism writer, a professional B2B writer and blogger, and co-host of The Introvert Sisters podcast. Learn more about why I started this newsletter and how you can support it.
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I can definitely relate to your feeling here. Some days, I cannot imagine a world that does not include racism. It seems that many people have made it their priority to keep Black people down so that they can soar above us. I really hope for change but like you, some days I just can't. Thanks so much for being the voice of reason in the storm🌷
Sharon, most times I can't. I can't believe half of my country still supports the racist-in-chief. I'm embarrassed and struggling to understand how to get through to even one of the privileged who don't believe they're privileged or the racists who start every racist statement with "I'm not a racist, but..."
When he took a knee, they called him unpatriotic. When they marched in the streets, they said they should find a non-violent way to get their point across (but not the knee because, get this, it's disrespectful. Right.). When he or she was shot, they said "Yes, but they had a shady background" as though a bullet is always justified when someone has a past.
I'm sick of this country and this attitude. I'm white. I know I have privilege. I acknowledge it, and I do my damnedest to make sure those in my orbit know I'm fighting for all humanity, not just those who look like me.
I'd thank you for keeping up the fight, but I'm disgusted that you have to, you know?