Trayvon Martin and what he taught me about blackness

I'm the youngest child. My brother is the only boy. My mom raised the girls; she loved my brother.  He had his fair share of punishments and wasn't catered to in the mama's boy sense, but he absolutely was able to get away with things that my sister and I never would've been able to.  I found it annoying. I could regale you with tales about why I feel this way in order to substantiate the lack of fair treatment in my our household, but just trust me. thanks.

I've made it clear to everyone that I feel this way, but I also wouldn't trade places. I love my life and I'm proud of what I've been able to accomplish with the persistent push from my mother. (Our father died before I started high school).  My mother knows. My brother knows. Er'rybody knows.  Because of that I've prayed that God will only bless me with girls. I sit in trepidation thinking about my life a a mother, and worry that I'd be too hard on my sons. I look at the little boys in my classroom and often think... what the hell is going on inside of you guys?  then drop em off at football camp.

Then... George Zimmerman was acquitted, and people rejoiced.

As I processed the loss, I realize that the world doesnt care about black boys.  They talked about how Trayvon wore gold teeth and had some minor shit at school dealing with marijuana. Seemingly forgetting that he was a kid, who was murdered.

At that moment I realized why we must love our black men in ways that the rest of the world does not need. We must love them because when they go out into the world, the hostility, the disgust, the fear, the condemnation, the violence that they face is palpable, and accepted.

They have to learn different lessons. I may be black, but I am not a threat. Nobody worries about me walking down the street. White men don't see me as a criminal. I may be a stereotype, a statistic, a welfare mother, a gold digger, a hood rat, someone educated, but I'm not a threat to their manhood. Thus, I will never face the police stops, or the profiling. No one holds their purse, or blames me for every crime. Most police APBs don't describe me.

And for these black men who wake up every day trying to just live a regular life, but knowing that their guard must be up, that they must be alert. That they must hold their tongue and swallow their anger when accused of something they did not do, or when they are shoved to the ground for probably clause.  They need love. So I'm glad we love them.  I want to hug every little black boy I've ever taught and tell them, I don't understand your anger, but I understand WHY you are angry and I want you to know that I cannot change it. I can't change the world. I can't fix it for you. But I will support you through it.  Because when the world doesn't support anything black men do, unless its the brute strength of a buck, how can we not step in as their sisters, mothers, cousins, aunts, neices, and say, I love you and I've got your back.  With me you're safe.

When did your daddy break your heart, Olivia Pope?

I watch Scandal as much as the rest of the world (country?) (black people?)   Anyway. I've been addicted since episode 1, and think it is amazingly well written and the cliffhangers keep me coming back.  But Olivia Pope, you need some counseling.

You are in love with a man who probably isn't ever going to be yours.  We have all been there. We had that love that took our heart and turned it colors, that made the blood pump stronger, that increased our capacity to be and feel anything more than we ever thought life could offer.  Yeah.. we all had that.. but after get dicked over for a year or two, most of us ended that shit and got over it.   

But no, you love Fitz so much.  Alright and it's looking like you might get him (after an election cycle) (despite the fact that you have mad people out to ruin you) but that's neither here nor there huh?  You are going to win like Aunt Vivian's sister and her white hubby on Fresh Prince... or will it be more like Trina and Gabe from Braxton Family Values... what is a win for you? 

True.  You also are SOOOOOOO in love that we come to find out that you are fucking everybody.  Literally.. You're screwing your ex-fiance, who you already toyed with.. and you then you screwed him and screwed him over... cause of a whisper of a promise from half assed Fitz. 

THEN you screwed Jake who was sent to get in between you and Fitz!! You fell for it.. and did it on tape.. because as a fixer you'd never do any real bug sweeps of your HOUSE! Would you?  Ohh no, because that house of yours is only for sad sack eating of popcorn and wine, private meetings with people who are all about the end game and not really caring about you.. and screwing every guy with a title. 

Then, you didn't see David coming for you... REALLY?  You ruined his life! Just like you ruined Redhead's life.. and you ruined Quinn's life, and you ruined Melly's life and Fitz's life.. and wait.. yeah.. You only fix shit you ALREADY FUCKED UP!!!   

I'm so sorry Olivia, that your daddy walked out on you/didn't pay enough attention to you/was never there/worked too much/ doesn't love you the way every little girl needs to be loved... but seriously.. You need to do more to heal yourself than swim in a pool and look fabulous. 

Cause right now.. you need some sholnuf real talk.. because something isn't right. I know ALOT of black people, successful and not.. and I don't know a SINGLE one who wouldn't have had a cousin/sister/auntie calling about that bullshit interview with Melly... to tell you for the 200th time.. Stop fucking the president.  You are not the First Lady.. you are a 2013 Sally Hemmings.  (Sally got a trip to Paris though, right?) 

Womp.  And I can't imagine that you have any soul if you can look at all of those people you have ruined and live with yourself. seriously. maybe that's why you keep breaking stuff. you're broken.  I'm sure Pope & Associates has AMAZING mental health benefits.  Use them.

All my love.