Do Black lives really matter to you?
Happy Black History Month, y’all!
Black History Month is such a special time of the year. The level of comedy Black people bring to Twitter once the clock hits midnight on February 1 is unmatched. However, we’re aware of and celebrate our Blackness year-round, but to some non-Black people, it seems like we’re only seen and celebrated during the second month of the year.
Every year big brands and companies make a point to post about BHM on their social media so they don’t face any backlash. They talk about figures such as Rosa Parks and MLK and how much they’ve done to get us to where we are now. Although we should celebrate the legacies of these Black icons, we should also do much more than that. Folks should be looking to donate to Black people who are at risk of getting evicted or going hungry. Non-Black people should be educating themselves about Black history-not asking Black people to teach them for free. Black women should be getting hired and paid for their work, not just thanked on Twitter whenever we come through and save people during an election. People need to be doing more.
Last summer, I read the hashtag Black Lives Matter more times than I could count. It’s disappointing to see so many people just now “understand” what Black folks have been saying for years now. We know our lives matter, but last summer made it seem like non-Black people were just starting to realize that. Although the protest across the world happened in response to the death of George Floyd, Black lives still matter when they’re not being taken away by police violence. Black lives matter when promondiately Black schools aren’t being funded and don’t have enough resources for their students. Black lives matter when viruses such as COVID-19 are disproportionately affecting the Black community. Black lives matter Black girls aren’t able to wear their natural hair to work or school while our non-Black counterparts get to steal our hairstyles and be seen as “trendsetters.” Black lives matter beyond moments of tragedy. People cannot only discuss how important our lives are when we’re dying. We need to be supported now. We need to be protected while we’re still here. We need to receive our flowers while we can still smell them.
With the month coming to a close, I’m curious to see how Black people will be treated once “our month” is over. We deserve to be celebrated and honored even if our legacies aren’t as significant as Malcolm or Martin. We also deserve to have to be cared about even if there’s not a threat to our lives being taken away by senseless violence. We deserve to matter all year round, all the time.
Black folks know our lives matter all the time, but does everybody else?
Thumbnail illustration by: Sacrée Frangine