sunday musings 27.16

This one is going to be much heavier than last week. It's been on my mind since Wednesday, when I heard the news of another police shooting. Followed by a second, less than 12 hours later. Maybe my blog isn't the best forum for these political thoughts, but I am a person of color. The color of my skin defines me. In between posts about what make up I'm using and what outfits I'm wearing, it is still  important for me to speak my mind

It's an odd experience to live in another country and witness these thing happening where you're from. A country where the police don't have guns on them, and the number of citizens killed by police in the last 5 years is a single digit number. When I speak to my friends in the UK about it, the common response is disbelief. Disbelief that it happens in the first place, disbelief that nothing has changed, disbelief that those officers won't face any jail time for taking life. That's the reality for people of color in the US.
I think the most important thing you can do, no matter where you live, where you're from or the color of your skin, is to be a part of the conversation. Ask questions. Talk to your friends. Ask me what my experience is like. Because if you strive to understand the problem, you become part of the solution. Recognize the privilege you possess and use it to be the voice of others. Pass the parcel, and educate your own friends and family.
The purpose of this post isn't to stand on a soapbox and rant about Black rights, trying to force my opinion on anyone. My hope, dear readers, is that by sharing my own experiences with you, I can help you to understand the plight of others and... what's that expression... stay woke. Stay woke to the realities of places you've never been and people you've never met. If you're aware of it happening elsewhere, if and when it happens where you live, you have the courage to stand up and fight it.
If you're not too sure about what I'm talking about, have a little Google. Search Tamir Rice. Sandra Bland. Trayvon Martin. Michael Brown. Eric Garner, Freddie Gray. Rekia Boyd. The list goes on and on.