Racial awareness: Break the repetitive cycle.

At this very moment, our nation is furious. Actually, Black America is furious. After the recent death of George Floyd by a police officer, riots have sparked in the US and violent protests begin to take place. Right now, all I see is a repeated cycle. A cycle where 1) racial injustice occurs 2) society lashes out 3) the nation becomes quiet. Then, boom! Another racist act sparks and then these 3 sequence repeats. See, that's the issue. The issue is that the awareness begins to die down and America continues to implement racist actions. We stop advocating about the social problems of racism until another drastic crisis occur. Ceasing for just a day can cause this cycle to repeat itself. As minorities, we all must act and do our part every day. We must use our voice to discuss not just police brutality but the prominent issues of housing, employment, criminal justice, and healthcare racism.

As I view social media right now, I love all the support the people on my timeline are showing to express their concerns about racial injustice such as writing statuses, sharing posts, signing petitions, etc. Love it! However, I think to myself, "Will this continue or slowly die down again?" After what I've personally encounter with racial inequality at my predominately white institution, I realized that racism is an ongoing issue that has never changed. I was hurt, disgusted, and most importantly, outraged. I knew racism was a thing, but it really did not hit me until I was affected by it. I'm disappointed in myself that I had to experience it to be truly aware. Since then, the top movies and shows that highlight racism has made me furious especially the Netflix series, “When they see us.” All of this makes me upset because the real issue is skin tone. Genetics we have no control over. Skin that is melanin. Skin that the media portray as a threat. Therefore, we must continue to be the change that we want society to see. And when I say change, I am talking about change that is not ignorant. I agree with all the protests that are taking place, but I do not agree with the ignorance that black people are displaying towards others. You cannot be colorful and target all white people because not all white people agree with what is happening in our nation. Some white people are blinded and uneducated about racism. That’s when we step in and educated them so that they can also shed light on this issue. Of course, they will never understand because they aren’t black, but at least they’ll be knowledgeable and supportive. The black community will never get far if the frustration is released out on every white individual.

I am now a strong advocate for racial equality. I read, write essays, and even give speeches on this topic. In the beginning of spring semester (before the COVID-19 outbreak when students were physically in classrooms), I presented a speech in my Nursing Communication course. We were asked to pick any topic of our choice and present it as either a persuasive or informative speech. Can you guess what I talked about? It was indeed regarding racism. I gave an informative speech on systemic racism in America. At first, I did not want to discuss this topic because of fear but I realize that this is one of my biggest passions and I must shed light on systemic racism. I do not regret my decision at all because my speech was an eye-opener. My introduction was a question asking my audience if anyone saw the Netflix series, “When They See Us.” Boy oh boy, I was astonished by the responses. Only about 5% of the students raised their hands. The rest of the 95% of the students never watched, never heard of it, or choose not to watch it because it was too heartbreaking. Keep in mind that the class consists mostly of white students and about 3 black students. I was struck by the results and my facial expression showed it. In my speech, I discuss racism in criminal justice, housing, education, and the healthcare system. At the end of my speech, my professor was in tears. My white professor was literally in tears. My professor has always been aware of the racial injustice that happens in our society and my speech made her emotional. She expressed how unfair and cruel the system is towards black humans. The white students were silent but shock. I wish I could have gone into more details regarding each issue, but because of time's sake, I had to make it short. However, I am extremely glad that I was able to shed light on systemic racism that many white students are unaware about. I know that my speech made a difference and left an impact on at least one white person. Hopefully, at least one of the white students will now stand by us Black people and help take part in being the change.

Overall, the main take away point of this blog is that our voice must NEVER be silent not even for a moment. We must break the 3 steps of the repetitive cycle. It does not matter what action you participate in such as educating students, protesting, seminars, and many more. Just make sure that it does not die down and we are always advocating for change. Do not be ignorant because some white people are standing by our side to bring awareness. As my brother said, “Yes, this is a black issue but we need to get support from whites and other ethnicities as well to get real change.” Let us use our voice, knowledge, and resilience as black individuals to make sure this issue never dies down not even for a second. Because when the awareness dies down, the racist acts are ignored.

#blacklivesmatter #blackpower #systemicracism #racism #policebrutality #nojusticenopeace

Image: REUTERS/Darren Ornitz