Tell Me, What’s It Like To Be You?

Being a Black woman in this world is a beautiful thing to me. In fact, it’s a privilege. I get to move through this world and experience life in different and unique ways that many of my ancestors could have only ever dreamed of. And while I’ve had the pleasure of learning, growing, and moving through this world, I’ve also experienced the challenges and discomfort of exclusion and displacement. While there have been sacrifices made by Black activists, brave heroes, and iconic figures who have come before me, and fights for equality, fair treatment, and attempts to make the world a better place, I can’t help but notice that we’re not entirely there yet when it comes to racial justice and equality.

The reality is that some people just don’t get it. And others just don’t care.

I suppose it’s easy for those who are hateful, racist, and prejudiced, and maybe others who choose to be blind and oblivious, to not care. Especially if race is an issue that doesn’t affect or impact them personally. But the fact remains, that for many Black people, racism is still an issue. And for those who act like racism doesn’t exist, or feel free to say things like, “Slavery was such a long time ago” and to “get over it and move on,” or think that we’re taking things “too personally,” please tell me, what’s it like to be you?

What’s it like to be able to thoughtlessly say whatever you want, whenever you want, with little to no consequences when it comes to race and different marginalized groups who have been oppressed and continue to experience hate, discrimination, and injustices on a regular basis?

What’s it like to be born with a privilege that allows you to easily access and enter opportunities and positions that are harder for others who don’t look like you to gain access to? Are you aware of your privilege? And do you feel like you have to work twice as hard and twice as much as the minorities around you to be seen, heard, and respected?

What’s it like to truly be seen and have your opinions, thoughts, and concerns be considered without quickly having your voice dismissed? How does it feel to not be overlooked and ignored during workplace meetings and other gatherings when you have meaningful thoughts and ideas to bring to the table?

What’s it like to move through your workplace without having to worry about dealing with the stress and aggravation of microaggressions? Have you ever had to code switch? Do people ever act surprised to learn you are smart, educated, qualified, and aren’t like most people from your race?

What’s it like to not have to assimilate and to freely be who you are without providing explanations about things like the way you speak, the clothes you choose to wear, and the different ways you choose to style your hair?

What’s it like to walk around in an expensive clothing store, jewelry store, or boutique without having an employee or security guard in the room with their eyes glued on you, following your every move while you try to shop, and insist on making assumptions that you can’t afford what’s on display?

What’s it like to not have to deal with police brutality? Have you ever experienced the amount of trauma, fear, and anxiety that many people of color experience whenever they are pulled over by a police officer or even when they spot an officer driving behind them in traffic?

What’s it like being able to raise your kids without giving them “the talk” that little brown and Black boys and girls get about how to act so they don’t get expelled from school, arrested, or killed should they ever find themselves addressed by an authority figure who will treat them differently or perceive them as a threat because of the color of their skin?

What’s it like to not have people wonder how someone like you can afford a nice car, a beautiful house, or a vacation home?

What’s it like to lay down at night and sleep peacefully without ever having to worry about whether you’re viewed as a threat or not, merely for existing in the skin you’re in?

Tell me, what’s it like to be you?

Because I can’t imagine that you know what it feels like to be me.