A Black Square

June 2, 2020 at 8:24 pm Leave a comment

blacksquare

Let me clarify.

A black square does not mean “I hate police.” A black square does not mean, “I think violence is the answer.” A black square does not mean that my life revolves around what is cool on social media.

It was one small thing. A little black square. Please don’t knock it. Please don’t hijack it. Please don’t use it as another distraction or another way to polarize opinion.

I posted a black square as a way of saying, I see racism. I see inequality. I know it exists. I want things to change. I posted a black square to say, I cannot believe we aren’t doing better than this in the 21st century. I posted a black square to say, I’m here. I don’t know much but, Um, Hi. I’m here.

I can deeply respect policemen and women and still post a black square.

I can love this country and still post a black square.

I wouldn’t for a second assume I know what it’s like. But I sure as heck have witnessed racism.

I have heard friends use the N word. I said, “Don’t.” But that doesn’t feel like enough.

I have heard elderly people say racist things. I never know how to handle that. I have disagreed gently at times. But I’m sorry to say there have been times when I just bit my lip. I feel bad about that.

I dated a bigot. Holy crap, I slept with a bigot. I also broke up with him, but racism was a contributing factor, not the primary reason. (I’m ashamed of that entire paragraph.)

I know a couple of bars that will not allow black people in the door. I won’t drink there. But so-called “private clubs” still exist. And that doesn’t seem right.

I’m no evangelist. I’m no extremist. I’m neither left nor right. Folks, I wasn’t going to blog about this. Mine is not a relevant voice. I’m a pasty pale white, non-political, fallible human. I have absolutely no idea how it feels to be black in America. But, while I wouldn’t dare to say I understand, I’m not blind. I’m not stupid.

Racism exists. Things need to change.

I saw a black square on Facebook this morning and I was curious. I read a few articles. One article included a quote I had never seen before:

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. — Martin Luther King

That struck me. That resonated. And from there, I interpreted the black square as a way to not be silent. It was a simple black square, a symbolic statement on social media. It was not enough, by real real real real real real far. But, today, it was a tiny way to be kind.

That is how I saw it. That is what I meant.

There are times when we all need to take a breath, pause a beat, and try to see the best in each other. This is one of those times.