Since 2020, my view of being a Black woman in America has become much sharper and heightened because I worry more than I used to of being Ms. Taylor, Mr. Floyd or Mr. Aubrey. If I learned how to shoot and owned a gun, I do not think my outcome would have been different, especially in Ms. Taylor's case.
Since I started reading The 1619 Project, it brings up many feelings on race that I didn't realize I had. Hearing Professor McLarin ask the question, "why would a Black woman who hates guns go get her gun license?" And she said she felt defeated, not celebratory. That she (and many Black people) are in an abusive relationship with this country, speaks loudly to me! The constant, never ending roles we must do in order to feel safe, seen, heard, and still be undervalued is exhausting!!
For her to get her gun license and feel a sense of defeat angers me. Nothing is ever good enough- no amount of education, speaking the King's English, adapting to hostile work environments, putting up with glares, comments and backhanded insults is the state of the world for Black people. She decides to get a gun AND learn to shoot. What does the right wing do-attack? She is doing what the 2nd Amendment said we can do and she is anti White???
When she said "level of awareness" I connected with that since I have to be more aware than I have been previously, especially living in the Bay Area where attention is on other parts of the USA that are portrayed as "racist." I have no desire to live in one of the slave states but I am not naive enough to think that what happened to those 3 people couldn't have happened to me especially if I legally owned a gun and knew how to shoot one. I imagine if something happened to me involving my legally owned gun, the narrative would be I deserved it.
I hope that there are some Black writers from the Bay Area who have chronicled their journey of racism living here. It's a story I don't hear enough about and in the ever changing demographic of the Bay Area I hope it is not lost.
Since 2020, my view of being a Black woman in America has become much sharper and heightened because I worry more than I used to of being Ms. Taylor, Mr. Floyd or Mr. Aubrey. If I learned how to shoot and owned a gun, I do not think my outcome would have been different, especially in Ms. Taylor's case.
Since I started reading The 1619 Project, it brings up many feelings on race that I didn't realize I had. Hearing Professor McLarin ask the question, "why would a Black woman who hates guns go get her gun license?" And she said she felt defeated, not celebratory. That she (and many Black people) are in an abusive relationship with this country, speaks loudly to me! The constant, never ending roles we must do in order to feel safe, seen, heard, and still be undervalued is exhausting!!
For her to get her gun license and feel a sense of defeat angers me. Nothing is ever good enough- no amount of education, speaking the King's English, adapting to hostile work environments, putting up with glares, comments and backhanded insults is the state of the world for Black people. She decides to get a gun AND learn to shoot. What does the right wing do-attack? She is doing what the 2nd Amendment said we can do and she is anti White???
When she said "level of awareness" I connected with that since I have to be more aware than I have been previously, especially living in the Bay Area where attention is on other parts of the USA that are portrayed as "racist." I have no desire to live in one of the slave states but I am not naive enough to think that what happened to those 3 people couldn't have happened to me especially if I legally owned a gun and knew how to shoot one. I imagine if something happened to me involving my legally owned gun, the narrative would be I deserved it.
I hope that there are some Black writers from the Bay Area who have chronicled their journey of racism living here. It's a story I don't hear enough about and in the ever changing demographic of the Bay Area I hope it is not lost.