With so much going on in the world right now, I have decided to start journaling more (I promise to give y’all a blog post soon). It has been an outlet for me, but I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t still bothered and outraged by recent events. Although this is a fashion blog, I would be remissed as a black woman, and person for equal rights period, if I didn’t discuss what is on every news outlet out there: the murder/homicide of George Floyd. I have been outraged, like many of us are, to know that in 2020 with all of the technological advancements and footage, that it took 4 WHOLE days for the police officer (who is intentionally not named) to be arrested. It has become such a frequent occurrence to see our people killed that I honestly can not even stomach seeing murders of our people by cops, racists, and imbeciles anymore.
I honestly never really took time to consider how detrimental this can be on the human brain. As someone who has studied psychology, it is very easy to develop Post traumatic stress disorder (P.T.S.D.) from past traumas and experiences. While it is very common to develop P.T.S.D. from personal experiences, there is something called Secondary Traumatic Stress that can develop in a person from someone else’s experiences.
Just reading the details of George Floyd’s murder was enough to make my stomach do flips like a gold medalist gymnast at the Olympic Games. I was immediately outraged. What justifies an animal and a coward, that hides behind a badge to “protect and serve,” to place their knee on someone’s neck, to the point that he yells “I can’t breathe” with every ounce of strength that he could muster up and plead for his deceased mother? They can’t be teaching these tactics in police academy! We are outraged, tired, angry, and demanding change!!!
People have protested, rioted, and spoken. This tragedy is gaining recognition world wide but what can we do to change the world? I do not condemn people for protesting and rioting. When you ignore, abuse, and abandon a specific group of people for no other reason than their race, they make themselves visible and heard. We are entitled to our feelings.
Never underestimate the power of people that have been oppressed for over 400 years!
We are humans and demand to be treated as such. We have to start from the feet and work our way up. It starts in our communities and goes up. I do not have the answers nor do I claim to have them. I find myself often asking, what can we do? What can I do? A start is the people we elect. A start is the people that hire these “cops.” A start is these police officers holding their fellow coworkers accountable. If you see someone being racist and you do not say anything, you are just as guilty. I have watched several videos of the various protests and riots. I’ve felt anger, frustration, fear, progression, disappointment, pride, and so many other things.
One of my favorite images/moments from ALL of the videos I’ve watched was this moment below:
This queen reprimanded her fellow coworker for forcefully pushing a woman protester to the ground. She is doing the work to produce the change that we so desperately need. This tragedy has opened a space for dialogue and we need answers NOW!!!
Have meaningful conversations, vote and make your voice heard for change, and BE the change needed for your community!!!!
Until next time,
The Chic Chemist ✊🏾