This is Our America
Driving down the street in my neighborhood around 1 p.m., headed home after working out, the traffic light turns red and a police officer pulls up next to me. My body tenses up, so I tightly firm my grip on the steering wheel. My palms are sweating and my hands tremble slightly.
Why am I feeling this way when I’ve done nothing wrong?
The light turns green and I continue on my way, the officer not far behind. In less than a minute, I turn down my street and into my driveway. The officer stops, blocking my car in, and exits his vehicle with his hand on his firearm.
“Where are you coming from?” he asks bluntly as he proceeds to look me up and down and walk around my car. “I just came from working out with my trainer,” I say, trying to be as compliant as possible to avoid any more unnecessary trouble.
As he continues, I ask what I have done for him to confront me in this way, and the only explanation given is, “You fit the description of a woman fleeing a hit and run.” Not my car. Me.
My body tenses further as it was never given the opportunity to relax from when he drove closely behind me. I asked for details but am provided with none other than my car didn’t match the description of the suspect, but I did. He never mentioned that the suspect has brightly colored hair (I do), that the suspect is wearing an Amon Amarath band t-shirt (I am), or that the suspect has facial piercings (like mine). That’s because she doesn’t possess any of those traits. The only thing I have in common with her is my brown skin.
After he leaves, I become teary eyed and flashbacks from other times when I’ve heard the words “You fit the description” solely based on my skin tone begin to fill my mind. I know I’m not alone in having gone through these kinds of hellish encounters.
I am a mixed-race Black/Hispanic/Native American woman living in the United States of America, in a predominantly white and Asian neighborhood.This is important because although I am not nor was I the only person with my complexion in the neighborhood , my aesthetic is very particular, so it’s hard to mistake. The aforementioned incident happened in late 2018.
Fast forward to mid-2020, the year of CoronaVirus (COVID-19). A time in which most would think we as a people experiencing a shared trauma would come together, but instead there is still a large divide within the culture. . In less than six months there has been the news of at least three people of color being murdered by police, filling the social media feeds of many Americans and countless others not making it to the mainstream media or news, causing a much understood outrage.
Here we are in a country which prides itself on the diversity of its people still unable to separate from the deep seeded racism in which we were built.
From the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, who was simply out for a jog, to the suspicion that those of Asian descent carry Coronavirus, and many other displays of racism perpetrated on innocent citizens, though unfortunate, these phenomena are nothing new and often become the most apparent during times of high stress.
Although many in our society would like to place the blame for the harm done to our communities on President Donald Trump, whose words often stoke hate and display ignorance, , and the police officers who have abused their power seemingly with immunity (as well as their colleagues who appear to overlook their misdeeds), and other government officials who fail to address systemic racism and other social ills, these are not the only source of our problem.
We also have a part to play in the continued oppression of the American people of color. Those of us that choose not to vote. Those that retort with “all lives matter” whenever someone asserts that “black lives matter,” without truly understanding the meaning behind the slogan. Even if they don’t intend to cause harm, they have become victims to the efforts of those who only wish to divide us.
Racially motivated crimes are nothing new: he Native American genocide, slavery, the lynchings that continued in the Jim Crow South after emancipation, the burning of Black Wall Street in Tulsa, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and even more recently the rise in hate crimes towards Latinx following President Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and the abuse of migrant children and families.
When Trump became president, he didn’t force anyone to become racist; he only laid the groundwork for those that already were to feel more comfortable being open about it. I am no fan of our current president; however, I cannot ignore the facts. It is unrealistic to think that a person can wake up one morning and just decide to be racist towards an entire group of people.
This leads me to the question of the hour: What can we do to bring about the desperately needed, lasting change our country needs?
First, we must no longer be afraid of having difficult conversations regarding race. Seeing no color is part of the problem. We can not sit back and ignore the color of our skin, nor should we have to, for that matter. Why should a person’s race or ethnicity make another person uncomfortable? It shouldn’t. Our color is heritage, it is our culture, and claiming to not see color, even if said with good intentions, is undermining the struggles that those of that color have experienced. Seeing a person’s color is acknowledging that person as a whole.
Next, see something, say something. In our age of technology, we now have the power to protect one another and to hold those with ill intentions accountable at the touch of a finger and the loud roars of like minded people. Racism should no longer be tolerated, and those that choose to behave in that manner need to be aware that although your speech is free, words are not without consequence, especially online.
Finally, the biggest hurdle to overcome is finding the ability to trust one another. Although racism is still very much alive today, there are also a multitude of individuals that want to help the fight against it. These are the people we need the most. The frustration, anger, and lack of trust felt is not unwarranted. However, for our voices to be really heard, we need those that already have their foot in the doorway (who’s words are less likely to be ignored) as much as we need each other. This includes but is definitely not limited to the white allies that have chosen to not only speak up against the injustice towards POC, but also make the conscious effort to educate those around them.
I am not so naive to think that these minor things will completely abolish racism or systemic oppression in our country, but more than ever we have to put certain differences aside and come together as a united people in order to lay down the foundation for the change that we need. And most importantly, everyone with the ability to vote should vote. Those that choose not to are giving up their privilege to place individuals that are for the betterment of our communities in positions of power. This does not mean only voting for a new president, but for our mayors, our judges, our governors and representatives. All of these people make the decisions that directly affect the people in their cities.
The protests and rioting that have followed the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, by police officer Derek Chauvin are a prime example why voting is so important as these are the American people showing the world that enough is enough. It is time to make your voices heard in order to bring attention to the injustice that has been going on for far too long and to fight the corruption in our system by voting new people into government positions.
