I know I can
Be what I wanna be
If I work hard at it
I’ll be where I wanna be
How can we become activists? How can we protest? How can we clearly explain the experience of being black in America? How can we put it in terms that they will understand? These questions wracked my brain. I battled through confusion, feeling as if I wasn’t doing enough.
How could I work in corporate America but also clearly understand and relate to Kendrick Lamar and Nas lyrics? How could I identify with the experiences witnessed in their virtue? How could I help?
The answer came to me, “Tell my story.” I realized that communication is key and that situations can’t be resolved until the issue is determined at its root source. If I demanded respect as an African-American, spoke my individual triumph—my race could too. At that moment, I vowed to execute #ActivismMyWay.
My Activism is living an exemplary life. I’m a millennial and like many in my generation, I wasn’t taught to march and I have never physically witnessed the images seen in the Civil Rights era as my baby booming parents. I have never witnessed a billy club beating. I have never been subjected to tear gas and traumatic police dog attacks. I have never had to sit on the back of the bus because of my skin color, not physically at least. Metaphorically, that’s a different story. However, like many in my generation, we have witnessed the inexplicable deaths of those who look like us. No longer are they kicking us into oblivion, they are shooting us down with bullets, word choices, and decisions. We have more than enough microaggressions placed on our lives each day. Every day that we walk this earth, we are reminded of our skin color and our place.
I have witnessed the good ole boys mentality experienced by many persons of color in corporate America. I have been compensated far less than my less than capable White counterparts. I have been pulled over by overly-aggressive white police officers on the back roads of South Carolina. I have been called “nigger” while competing in a college softball game in the South. The image of a black man hanging by a noose was deemed appropriate in a text thread from a white coworker who thought it was the most appropriate response to comic relief. I have been followed around retail stores and received lackluster service because of my race.
As a matter of fact, in just one week of my African-American life, my interest in a work of art was questioned; my ability to pay for said art was questioned. In my home space, I was accused of being a thief after mistakenly picking up boxes for a friend. Lastly, the cops had to be called on an irreverent taxi driver whose behavior showed his disregard for people of my color.
My most recent dose of #UmmmThatsRacist attempted to serve as a punchline and sounded a little something like this, “Well put me on the back of the bus.”
Now, that’s the tongue and cheek racism that really takes your breath away.
As a black woman and person, I have been sexually demeaned, undermined, misheard, misunderstood, silenced, mocked, ridiculed, and scolded.
Honestly, being black in America is exhausting. You are forced to work twice as hard as your counterparts while battling external physical and mental abuse— all because of your race.
But as Maxine Waters says, I am “A STRONG BLACK WOMAN” and I WILL SPEAK OUT!
In spite of the obstacles before us, millennials have been privy to better education systems and life experiences. Our activism won’t be consumed with violence, but rather intelligence.
By helping to create more aware and diverse individuals in our race- we protest.
By teaching them the situations to avoid, decreasing their risk of contact with hasty cops- we protest. By learning how we were born with a gift and a curse and how to use it to our benefit- we protest.
I attended integrated schools and the idea of racism was never an idea or concept that was placed in my world. I was taught to practice equality, only to grow up and realize that respect is subjective. My life’s value is contingent upon the experiences and outlook of the encountering individual.
Since we don’t know what to do, we should just do what we know to be right, and that’s to move our people forward.
#JustDoRight
We can’t worry about what the other races are doing or even their perceptions. We have to get us right first.
In the midst of this social unrest- I extend positivity to African-Americans and highlight our greatness.
Dimensions Blog is my activism. It’s my refusal to be stereotyped. It originated out of frustration and is now ultimately necessary. I sought to create a platform that shows all we can be and our infinite potential.
My encounters with racism have ranged from the most egregious to subtle instances of passive aggression. I have grown far too tired of feeling uncomfortable at the thought of alerting another when they first made me uncomfortable. It’s time that empathy is reciprocated. Collectively, these encounters and more have inspired Dimensions Blog and #ActivismMyWay.
Show me your method of activism. How will you protest using your most valuable asset- YOU!
I want to provide an example that more is better. There is more life than the stereotypes placed around us. Don’t be placed in a box. Don’t be predictable. Use your dimensions to do the unexpected. Use your passion and your talents as your tools against opponents. If you’re an artist, a student, a teacher, or a caregiver- use your talents to be the best possible example of your race and that’s how we protest.
My protest is being the best possible ME based on my life’s experiences. It’s not based on what I’ve been told or assumed- but what I have lived. Let go of what you were told you would become and become the person you know you can be- that’s my protest against hate. This publication is an opportunity and responsibility bigger than me.
If the truth is told, the youth can grow/They learn to survive until they gain control/Nobody says you have to be gangstas, hoes/
Read more, learn more, change the globe!
Nas already told us what to do.
I heard you Nas! I’m going to become that little girl that host a show like Oprah
Join me as I journey through our dimensions.
I hope you enjoy!
