It is also violent
1. When you call the police on us for just existing in spaces where you do not feel we belong (See: Starbucks, dorm lobbies, buildings where we live or have friends, delivering packages as a part of our jobs, etc)
2. Sharing memes that indicate you don't see color or we are all the same under the skin---when it is literally our skin color that is justifying our oppression and murders
3. Posting images signaling "there are good cops out there", as a a way to dismiss the systemic issue that permits our murder by them
4. Saying All Lives Matter when we are discussing Black Lives
5. Telling us how to protest, while not using that energy to tell other white people to stop the behaviors that result in our need to protest
6. Trying to convince us why you support Donald Trump
7. Insisting that we "must have done something wrong" when we tell you about being racially profiled or otherwise harmed because of our blackness
8. Silencing Black women through the white fragility buzzwords of "attacking", "intimidating", "why are you so angry"
9. Arguing that Black folx who tell you they do not have the energy to educate you on racism, white supremacy, systems of oppression, etc. are "not really caring about developing allies"
10. Amplifying the images/messages of allies more than you do that of actual Black folx
11. Insisting your proximity to blackness (Black partner, Black friends, black/biracial children) permits you to claim expertise on Blackness and not be challenged when you say or do any of the above
Dr. Dent is a licensed psychologist. Her hardest job is being a Black Woman who centers the experiences of Black women and girls. She seeks to amplify the voices of Black women, girls, and femmes who have consistently been on the front lines of addressing racial injustice.
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