Stage 1: Another Black person is beat up, arrested or killed senselessly
This is where we find out someone Black has been violated in a major way usually by a person of authority, a vigilante or a cop. There’s Trayvon Martin, killed by a neighborhood watchman as he walked home in the rain with a hoodie over his head. There’s Aiyana Stanley-Jones, a 7 year old who was laying in bed when police shot through her house. There’s Rekia Boyd, killed when a cop opened fire into an alley where she was standing. There’s Tamir Rice, the 12 year old who was shot by police as he was on a playground because they thought his BB gun was real. There’s _____ and _______ and oh yeah _______. Unfortunately, I could keep going.
Stage 2: People are enraged by the injustice
We hear about this, we amplify it and we rage. We RAGE for the lives that were lost for no reason. We mourn for the parents who have to bury their child, the people who lost their life partners, the young ones who were there to see their friends slain.
We rave about a system that gives no dambs about Black lives, Black bodies and Black humanity (or just HUMANITY AT ALL). We weep for battles fought that 50 years ago that we still haven’t won. We cry out for the grief we feel because Rekia, Trayvon, Mike, Aiyana, Amadou could have been any one of us. WE. RAGE, gahtdambit. Because America makes it clear that we’re on our own, and walking down the street is a crime when you’re Black.
https://twitter.com/_lifeonthemoon
Stage 2.5: People are too tired to be outraged
There are some people who ask us all “why are you surprised?” or “What did you expect?” They are tired. Maybe they are protecting themselves from the bottomless pit of rage and hopelessness that could come when they let themselves feel.
Stage 3: Smear Campaign and victim blaming
Once we find out about the killing and violation against a Black person, we quickly get to the place where people ask what the person did to get killed. As if people walk out everyday looking for trouble to get into that will lead to them having a hole in their body and a heart with no beat.
Because to be considered a TRUE victim, you need to be a saint who never even raised your voice, cussed or put up any selfies that didn’t have you in a choir robe. Because to defame your character is to place the onus of death squarely on your shoulders. If you’re in a hoodie in any of your online pics, beware. That day when you felt like rocking some Timbs and a baggy shirt, they will find that pic and ask what you did as the “thug” you are.
They find out that Mike/Trayvon/Tamir’s stepdaddy’s first cousin twice removed didn’t file taxes in 2004, therefore they were a monster. And there’s no real correlation to the matter at hand but that doesn’t matter. Because victims cannot be VICTIMS unless they were angels on Earth. And when they can’t find anything to use on them, they find anything around them to use to drag their names through the mud.
Well, only if you’re Black. Because that is when you actually have to PROVE your humanity, instead of having it given to you. Because even in death, they won’t let your soul rest without smearing it with dirt. Even though, if you’re white, you can shoot up an entire movie theater, walk out with your life intact and get painted as someone who is “disturbed.”
Stage 3.25: Media asks “What did he/she do?”
This is when the media plants ideas on what the victim may have done to deserve being shot in the back, killed while in bed, choked til he could not breathe.
Stage 3.5: FOX News confirms that it’s THE WORST
Because FOX News deserves its own sub-stage for their tone deaf coverage of EVERYTHING. Going to them for the truth is like going to WalMart to buy a Ferrari. You will not find one there and you should not look.
Stage 3.75: The “None of us were there” people
People will chime up to tell us that none of us were there and we don’t really know what could have happened. They’ll play “Devil’s Advocate” and tell us we need to understand that there are two sides to every story. EXCEPT ONE SIDE IS DEAD AND THAT’S THE SIDE THAT MATTERS MOST, DINGBAT!
In the case of Eric Garner, we WERE there, because we all saw the video. Now what?
Stage 4: What about Black on Black crime?
This HAS to happen in this cycle because people feel the need to point out to us that why are we worried about any crimes that other people commit on our Black bodies when Black people criminalize each other?
Black on Black crime is a DUMB ASS phrase. 94% of murders that Black people are victims of are committed by other Black people. 83% of murders that white people are victims of is committed by other white people. WHY? Because we interact with people who are in our racial groups most often.
Stage 5: Reminding us that “Not All White People”
As we rage about the system, the inhumane treatment of Black people that has been allowed, encouraged and state-sanctioned because of white privilege that has soaked the very fabric of the system, people push back to let us know that not all white people are racist.
And we didn’t even say ALL white people are racist but racism is real, bigots are plenty and we’re not just making this up to make white folks feel bad. IT IS REAL. We said that white people benefit from privilege and the automatic position of power they’re in just because of their skin color. We didn’t call you RACIST, unless you feel like pointing out that FACT makes you a bigot. Then by all means, holler like hit dogs do.
This is also when we are all told that not all cops are bad. Nope. Not all. But the bad ones are really showing their asses and the good ones need to know that these are their coworkers. Again, hit dogs holler. But criticizing ONE group does not mean handing out personal judgments of everyone in that group.
Stage 5.5: #BlackLivesMatter? What About #AllLivesMatter?
We know that all lives matter. WE KNOW. But we have to say #BlackLivesMatter to remind people of our humanity, which is far too often forgotten. So for white people (or anyone who isn’t Black) to feel like this proclamation somehow diminishes THEIR humanity is to confirm that very self-centeredness that we’re fighting against.
THANK YOU!
Being pro-Black doesn’t make us anti-white. Stand down, Butthurt Bill. STAND DOWN.
Stage 5.75: And this is the part where folks let us know that they’re colorblind and they don’t really see race and “This is clearly not about race, YOU GUISE!” Nope. Not about race at all. Because sure a white man can be seen being KILLED on camera and the Black cop who killed him won’t even have to spend a day in court. YEAH OK. In Opposite Land!
Stage 6: Create a Twitter hashtag to unite the conversation
We create a hashtag around whatever happened, and it serves as a way for everyone to unite in anger, venting, next steps. Oftentimes, it is a way for us to really side-eye the hell out of the people who are missing the point of it all.
Stage 7: People protest and are told to be calm
The people of Ferguson have taken to the streets since August when Michael Brown got killed. They are the reason we still know his name. They are the reason we can’t rest. They are the fighters in front of this new movement, and for that, we have to thank them, They helped spark something important, and all around the world, people have joined them to say #HandsUpDontShoot. And to show that we will not take this lying down.
Stage 7.5: Calling protesters rioters
One way to diminish the work of people who are protesting is by calling them looters, even though many people have peacefully assembled, which is their first amendment right. The way protesting has been framed by the media has been to show lawlessness and people damaging property. Not only does this ignore the folks who are peaceful with it, it also places the blame on people who feel like there’s nothing to even protect.
Stage 7.75Quote MLK to call for peace
Because Martin Luther King Jr. has become the Patron Saint of Respectability and Pull Your Pants Up, folks are quick to quote his words on keeping peace and nonviolence and kumbaya. But they forget that MLK also said: “A riot is the language of the unheard.” In a country where our people are being killed with no consequence, not feeling heard is DEFINITELY a problem.
Stage 8: You learn how the people you know really feel
During these times, people show who they are, whether in their silence (which speaks volumes) or in their words.
Stage 9: The killer walks free
It is here that our broken hearts shatter into tiny little pieces. Every single time that a Grand Jury refuses to indict a cop in spite of witnesses, video tape evidence, word from coroner, 5 people with 20/20 vision and a sworn truthteller, it is a punch to the chest. EVERY SINGLE TIME someone is cleared of all charges, I feel like *I* can’t breathe. .
George Zimmerman was at least tried. But he still walked away without serving a night in jail for killing Trayvon Martin. Darren Wilson is not only a free man, but he’s collected over $400,000 in donations and got married as he awaited the decision on indictment.
On top of everything that happens, this stage is the one that really cements the fact that we’re not considered fully human not just by individuals but by the government itself. It is past just “some racist cops” and it is systemic oppression. And THAT does feel personal. Intensely.
Stage 10: We get to work on dismantling the system brick-by-brick
We organize. We march. We find out what we need to do next to make change happen because we’re sick of this shit and we need it to stop. Because when stage 1 happens again, we’re left in the same rage cycle, left to figure out why the hell we’re still fighting for basic human rights.
This is where we find out someone Black has been violated in a major way usually by a person of authority, a vigilante or a cop. There’s Trayvon Martin, killed by a neighborhood watchman as he walked home in the rain with a hoodie over his head. There’s Aiyana Stanley-Jones, a 7 year old who was laying in bed when police shot through her house. There’s Rekia Boyd, killed when a cop opened fire into an alley where she was standing. There’s Tamir Rice, the 12 year old who was shot by police as he was on a playground because they thought his BB gun was real. There’s _____ and _______ and oh yeah _______. Unfortunately, I could keep going.
Stage 2: People are enraged by the injustice
We hear about this, we amplify it and we rage. We RAGE for the lives that were lost for no reason. We mourn for the parents who have to bury their child, the people who lost their life partners, the young ones who were there to see their friends slain.
We rave about a system that gives no dambs about Black lives, Black bodies and Black humanity (or just HUMANITY AT ALL). We weep for battles fought that 50 years ago that we still haven’t won. We cry out for the grief we feel because Rekia, Trayvon, Mike, Aiyana, Amadou could have been any one of us. WE. RAGE, gahtdambit. Because America makes it clear that we’re on our own, and walking down the street is a crime when you’re Black.
https://twitter.com/_lifeonthemoon
Stage 2.5: People are too tired to be outraged
There are some people who ask us all “why are you surprised?” or “What did you expect?” They are tired. Maybe they are protecting themselves from the bottomless pit of rage and hopelessness that could come when they let themselves feel.
Stage 3: Smear Campaign and victim blaming
Once we find out about the killing and violation against a Black person, we quickly get to the place where people ask what the person did to get killed. As if people walk out everyday looking for trouble to get into that will lead to them having a hole in their body and a heart with no beat.
Because to be considered a TRUE victim, you need to be a saint who never even raised your voice, cussed or put up any selfies that didn’t have you in a choir robe. Because to defame your character is to place the onus of death squarely on your shoulders. If you’re in a hoodie in any of your online pics, beware. That day when you felt like rocking some Timbs and a baggy shirt, they will find that pic and ask what you did as the “thug” you are.
They find out that Mike/Trayvon/Tamir’s stepdaddy’s first cousin twice removed didn’t file taxes in 2004, therefore they were a monster. And there’s no real correlation to the matter at hand but that doesn’t matter. Because victims cannot be VICTIMS unless they were angels on Earth. And when they can’t find anything to use on them, they find anything around them to use to drag their names through the mud.
Well, only if you’re Black. Because that is when you actually have to PROVE your humanity, instead of having it given to you. Because even in death, they won’t let your soul rest without smearing it with dirt. Even though, if you’re white, you can shoot up an entire movie theater, walk out with your life intact and get painted as someone who is “disturbed.”
Stage 3.25: Media asks “What did he/she do?”
This is when the media plants ideas on what the victim may have done to deserve being shot in the back, killed while in bed, choked til he could not breathe.
Stage 3.5: FOX News confirms that it’s THE WORST
Because FOX News deserves its own sub-stage for their tone deaf coverage of EVERYTHING. Going to them for the truth is like going to WalMart to buy a Ferrari. You will not find one there and you should not look.
Stage 3.75: The “None of us were there” people
People will chime up to tell us that none of us were there and we don’t really know what could have happened. They’ll play “Devil’s Advocate” and tell us we need to understand that there are two sides to every story. EXCEPT ONE SIDE IS DEAD AND THAT’S THE SIDE THAT MATTERS MOST, DINGBAT!
In the case of Eric Garner, we WERE there, because we all saw the video. Now what?
Stage 4: What about Black on Black crime?
This HAS to happen in this cycle because people feel the need to point out to us that why are we worried about any crimes that other people commit on our Black bodies when Black people criminalize each other?
Black on Black crime is a DUMB ASS phrase. 94% of murders that Black people are victims of are committed by other Black people. 83% of murders that white people are victims of is committed by other white people. WHY? Because we interact with people who are in our racial groups most often.
Stage 5: Reminding us that “Not All White People”
As we rage about the system, the inhumane treatment of Black people that has been allowed, encouraged and state-sanctioned because of white privilege that has soaked the very fabric of the system, people push back to let us know that not all white people are racist.
And we didn’t even say ALL white people are racist but racism is real, bigots are plenty and we’re not just making this up to make white folks feel bad. IT IS REAL. We said that white people benefit from privilege and the automatic position of power they’re in just because of their skin color. We didn’t call you RACIST, unless you feel like pointing out that FACT makes you a bigot. Then by all means, holler like hit dogs do.
This is also when we are all told that not all cops are bad. Nope. Not all. But the bad ones are really showing their asses and the good ones need to know that these are their coworkers. Again, hit dogs holler. But criticizing ONE group does not mean handing out personal judgments of everyone in that group.
Stage 5.5: #BlackLivesMatter? What About #AllLivesMatter?
We know that all lives matter. WE KNOW. But we have to say #BlackLivesMatter to remind people of our humanity, which is far too often forgotten. So for white people (or anyone who isn’t Black) to feel like this proclamation somehow diminishes THEIR humanity is to confirm that very self-centeredness that we’re fighting against.
THANK YOU!
Being pro-Black doesn’t make us anti-white. Stand down, Butthurt Bill. STAND DOWN.
Stage 5.75: And this is the part where folks let us know that they’re colorblind and they don’t really see race and “This is clearly not about race, YOU GUISE!” Nope. Not about race at all. Because sure a white man can be seen being KILLED on camera and the Black cop who killed him won’t even have to spend a day in court. YEAH OK. In Opposite Land!
Stage 6: Create a Twitter hashtag to unite the conversation
We create a hashtag around whatever happened, and it serves as a way for everyone to unite in anger, venting, next steps. Oftentimes, it is a way for us to really side-eye the hell out of the people who are missing the point of it all.
Stage 7: People protest and are told to be calm
The people of Ferguson have taken to the streets since August when Michael Brown got killed. They are the reason we still know his name. They are the reason we can’t rest. They are the fighters in front of this new movement, and for that, we have to thank them, They helped spark something important, and all around the world, people have joined them to say #HandsUpDontShoot. And to show that we will not take this lying down.
Stage 7.5: Calling protesters rioters
One way to diminish the work of people who are protesting is by calling them looters, even though many people have peacefully assembled, which is their first amendment right. The way protesting has been framed by the media has been to show lawlessness and people damaging property. Not only does this ignore the folks who are peaceful with it, it also places the blame on people who feel like there’s nothing to even protect.
Stage 7.75Quote MLK to call for peace
Because Martin Luther King Jr. has become the Patron Saint of Respectability and Pull Your Pants Up, folks are quick to quote his words on keeping peace and nonviolence and kumbaya. But they forget that MLK also said: “A riot is the language of the unheard.” In a country where our people are being killed with no consequence, not feeling heard is DEFINITELY a problem.
Stage 8: You learn how the people you know really feel
During these times, people show who they are, whether in their silence (which speaks volumes) or in their words.
Stage 9: The killer walks free
It is here that our broken hearts shatter into tiny little pieces. Every single time that a Grand Jury refuses to indict a cop in spite of witnesses, video tape evidence, word from coroner, 5 people with 20/20 vision and a sworn truthteller, it is a punch to the chest. EVERY SINGLE TIME someone is cleared of all charges, I feel like *I* can’t breathe. .
George Zimmerman was at least tried. But he still walked away without serving a night in jail for killing Trayvon Martin. Darren Wilson is not only a free man, but he’s collected over $400,000 in donations and got married as he awaited the decision on indictment.
On top of everything that happens, this stage is the one that really cements the fact that we’re not considered fully human not just by individuals but by the government itself. It is past just “some racist cops” and it is systemic oppression. And THAT does feel personal. Intensely.
Stage 10: We get to work on dismantling the system brick-by-brick
We organize. We march. We find out what we need to do next to make change happen because we’re sick of this shit and we need it to stop. Because when stage 1 happens again, we’re left in the same rage cycle, left to figure out why the hell we’re still fighting for basic human rights.
