Black Lives Matter
I recently saw a Facebook post from someone who I hold in high regard which claimed that the "Black Lives Matter" campaign was an utter farce. This person held the position that the campaign didn't address the issue of Blacks being killed by Blacks and if they really cared they would not have been focusing on the police but
on the violence amongst themselves.
My initial response was one of shock. As someone who has studied race in South Africa and has listened and followed Opal Tometi (and her two other cofounders) as the discussed and tried to be prophetic in the current state of American politics, I thought I was placed to assess the situation.
However, I found myself agreeing with the post on critique on Black Lives Matter. Not because I thought it was right but it allowed me to peer into the depths of my own racism. To allow myself to see my own blindspots. I grew up a country that would have thrown the same counter argument to the Anti-Apartheid struggle. They would have said that Blacks kill more Blacks than the whites do. It would have used any statistic to look at the situation with its own rose coloured lenses.
I agreed with the post because it showed me, how far we have come as South African's. Apartheid is over but its grasp still lingers within us whites. I say this as a collective because in my experience whites have not been able to say this of themselves.
I think the hardest thing is to call it out. To bring it to the surface. Because, only when I am aware that it exists and its impact on me both consciously and subconsciously, can I deal with it. I can only then do the hard yards of reconciliation in myself. I wonder if this is why Black Lives Matter is causing so much division? When truth speaks to power, it doesn't only speak truth it also speaks deconstruction. It speaks light into the areas we do not wish to acknowledge in ourselves and forces us to look into the places we don't want to acknowledge in ourselves.
This is why I support Black Lives Matter and support any organisation that is calling me to relook at the prejudices I and we as a collective society hold.
Yes All Lives Matter but at this point in our history it is those we have oppressed that are showing us who we are.
on the violence amongst themselves.
My initial response was one of shock. As someone who has studied race in South Africa and has listened and followed Opal Tometi (and her two other cofounders) as the discussed and tried to be prophetic in the current state of American politics, I thought I was placed to assess the situation.However, I found myself agreeing with the post on critique on Black Lives Matter. Not because I thought it was right but it allowed me to peer into the depths of my own racism. To allow myself to see my own blindspots. I grew up a country that would have thrown the same counter argument to the Anti-Apartheid struggle. They would have said that Blacks kill more Blacks than the whites do. It would have used any statistic to look at the situation with its own rose coloured lenses.
I agreed with the post because it showed me, how far we have come as South African's. Apartheid is over but its grasp still lingers within us whites. I say this as a collective because in my experience whites have not been able to say this of themselves.
I think the hardest thing is to call it out. To bring it to the surface. Because, only when I am aware that it exists and its impact on me both consciously and subconsciously, can I deal with it. I can only then do the hard yards of reconciliation in myself. I wonder if this is why Black Lives Matter is causing so much division? When truth speaks to power, it doesn't only speak truth it also speaks deconstruction. It speaks light into the areas we do not wish to acknowledge in ourselves and forces us to look into the places we don't want to acknowledge in ourselves.
This is why I support Black Lives Matter and support any organisation that is calling me to relook at the prejudices I and we as a collective society hold.
Yes All Lives Matter but at this point in our history it is those we have oppressed that are showing us who we are.
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