#BlackLivesMatter

Hey it’s Raquel! We all have our take, we all have our opinions so I will share mine tonight.

There are many heated debates about protests, and #blacklivesmatter vs. #alllivesmatter. Truth be told, I didn’t give it much thought until recently. Somehow, I saw both points of view. I am of Italian descent, which means I am primarily Caucasian. Of course I know all lives matter. Murder in any form is despicable and evil. One life lost is devestating to a Mom, Dad, brother, sister, father, mother. Etc.

We are all victims of a false narrative, the media feeds us on a daily basis. Yes, any news channel. It doesn’t matter which one. A propaganda machine meant to make us believe in false sense of how the world works. It’s so confusing at times, and the addition of social media overloads your wearied brain. Who do you believe? What do you believe?

“Facts” are presented in such a way, it’s a virtual impossibility for all of us to agree about anything at anytime. With that being said, I wrote this for me and not necessarily for anyone else. After all, my insomnia is on the line. My peace of mind is at risk. The unburdening of my soul is causing me distress.

Let’s face it, I am a subpar poet. And my writing skills are just below professional level. With all of my shortcomings, I now know the truth and I will share it if you’ve read this far.

I cannot pretend to understand loss like the Floyd family experienced this week. I’ve suffered from a horrible case of white privledge all my life. The horrors of racial profiling escaped me through my teenage years. Making sure I have my license and all necessary documents before I left my house was never a concern for me. If one of my children call me and inform me they’ve been stopped by a police officer, I won’t feel a knot in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t understand. We don’t understand.

When you say all lives matters in the face of black lives matter it’s the epitome of selfishness and systemic racism. You are the problem, not the solution. For the first time in your privledged life, listen. Innocent black people are murdered because of the color of their skin. Everyday. It’s a racism issue, it’s a social issue, and it’s a capitalism issue. Not unlike the Matrix, we are all part of a system that works against minorities.

I can no longer remain quiet and neither should you. If you have friends of color or claim to detest rasicm, and you truly care – you must use your voice. Now. Not later. Right now. Those “innocent” comments friends or relatives name must be stifled. Shut down without a second thought. Everyone should be treated equally and humanely.

Straight White Nationalism is running rampant. If black lives do not matter now, what happens later? Religion and politics will become one, and then your views and rights will be next in line. Atheists, LGBTQ among other groups will fall like dominoes. This is a revolution, a civil war which will not be fraught on a standard battlefield. A turning point in our history as a country is upon us. And I, a white transgender female, am simply asking you not to devalue a movement because of the misconception that it doesn’t apply to you.

Everything applies to you. What happens next is in your hands. Me must protest peacefully, and let our voices be heard. We must then all vote in November, to take our first steps forward. Finally, racism can longer be allowed in your life in any form. These are commitments, covenants you must make with yourself. Even your old Grandma “set in her ways” must corrected when she makes a ignorant statement.

Thank you for reading. I love you guys.

#BlackLivesMatter