overthrow the government

So I'm basically kind of tired of seeing black bodies and black people getting killed for the simple reason that is because they're black. But I'm also really tired of only seeing protests, hashtags and tumblr posts too. Now I'm not bashing social media activism, because without it I wouldn't be as conscious as I am today. However, I feel that that is all that we do.

We just kind of sit back and write this long post on systemic racism, then go to bed. There is obviously nothing wrong with that, but it's so obvious that that isn't really working alone. We are still preaching on twitter, and black people are still getting killed. Us young people are making all of these magazines and cool platforms for other people like us, but police brutality hasn't stopped. And I'm not saying that all of this social stuff doesn't matter because it does, but doing it alone isn't enough.

Look, Mussolini didn't get into power purely through his newspaper, he became the prime minister, he had a squad of people who would fight to get what he wanted.

African Americans didn't get the right to vote through marches and speeches alone. The people in power, the people who create the laws and are part of the system, co-operated with MLK and essentially changed things.

We are waiting, but they're not going to stop, because why would they?

I feel that the only real way for change, is if the people in power start working with us. Police officers start criticising their own, judges start doing their jobs properly, congress suddenly becomes enlightened. Or, we overthrow the bloody government, because at least that means we can start all over again. Or, we get into power ourselves and change things from there. They can't do anything, if we're, in charge. If I were the judge of the Brock case, he wouldn't have been let off so easily. If we are the heads, the CEOs, the bosses, the chiefs, whatever. If we are in charge, then we can change things from then on. 

(Beyonce must have been in complete creative control, or her team is completely on board with her vision because the amount of various black girls in Lemonade ... I can't see someone who isn't in charge doing that.)

I'm not trying to judge, because I am honestly criticising myself, because what am I doing? However I do feel that I can speak on this.

I also feel that this problem also comes, because we're too afraid, and quite rightly so to be honest. I don't feel like putting my life in danger. I'm comfortable, and that's the problem. We're not angry enough, we're not uncomfortable enough. To be honest, in the town where I live, I'm not afraid of getting hurt by the police. I have a macbook, a wall to wall wardrobe, I can afford holidays, I'm not in poverty because of my race, I'm pretty well off. I feel that because a lot of this doesn't affect us directly (even though it could), we're not ready to do anything. In the 1930s, every black person was affected. Everyone had it hard, some harder than others, but everyone had is HARD. Now, we don't, and we'd rather not do anything until something big happens.

I also think that we are too caught up in making changes online, and not in "real life." Being artists, and changing things through our paintings and songs, and not trying to get into government.

Now I'm personally an artist, and I am going to do my part through art, but the reason why I'm saying this, is because I feel that being an "artist" is kind of a trend at the moment. I may be wrong, but this is how I am seeing everything. People who aren't really passionate about art, are being "artists" because they feel that it's cool, but they'd much rather be writing a book on the biological cousins of iguanas, or training to become a police officer or an attorney. I don't know.

I just feel that we are doing the same thing over and over again, and nothing is working, yet we keep on doing it anyway. We're focused too much on one thing and not on other aspects, and we're just generally not ready.

P.S: I'm not bashing anyone, I just feel that we could all do better.

P.P.S: I am criticisng myself as much as others, and I also feel like I'm just talking because I don't think I've come up with a solution, other than "become the boss" (I don't even know if I even made that point until now).

P.P.P.S: I am open to correction and criticism

P.P.P.P.S: I apologise for making no sense

P.P.P.P.P.S: I got the moth and set it free.

my opinion on black history month

“Black History Month, or National African American History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history.”

My honest opinion on black history month, is that I think it’s quite sad and kind of pathetic. To me, black history month, is just a way of saying: 

“we are uncomfortable with presenting history in a way which doesn’t always favour us and that doesn’t tell as much of the truth as it can, so we are going to give you a month where we tell a half truth which satisfies most less knowledgable people. Now that we’ve given you a whole month, you can’t call us racist.”

So what about the rest of the year? Why can’t you just present history properly as it is, all year round? Are we only worth a month?

The fact that we’re only given a month, really indicates how much you really value and treat us, because the source of our struggle is found in our history, and you only give us a month? Why isn’t it part of a national curriculum?

Now don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate Black History Month. I think that it’s important that we have a time, where we take time to fully appreciate and recognise African Americans their achievements and struggles (I’m British, by the way). So, I am not in any way bashing, Black History Month, because it isn’t a bad thing.

However, I do feel that Black History Month is there, so that white people, can tell us to stop talking about racism in the way that we have started to do, because they’ve “already given us a month,” when this discussion, and appreciation should really be a whole year thing. It feels like to me, that we remember all of this good stuff, then once we hit March, we can bury and forget about it again until the following year. Why do we constrict our achievements and history to one month? Why is it that we have to separate our histories and suppress some parts and glorify others? 

You have to grow up and face the facts, that white people in history have been pretty crappy and weren’t the inventors and the heroes of everything.

So what do you guys think about Black History Month? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

THE ALTERNATIVE BLACK KID

So this is kind of an impromptu post, and it was inspired by Aida, owner of my new favourite of mine: kidisalright

This post was inspired by her post on "black weirdness" and you can find it here.

So, during school (I'm still in school by the way) I've always felt different? What I mean, is that I am a dark skinned black girl, and I like Nirvana. I began to feel odd and started to become aware of how "different" I was, when I was in Year Seven (so age twelve and thirteen). Firstly, people were shocked when they realised that I liked to read, secondly they were shocked when they found out that I liked to write and was "well spoken," and used "big words." 

I have heard of other black people being called an "oreo." I have never experienced that, but I'm sure if the people around me knew about this terminology, they would have called me that. Since, I don't like sport, I am a nerd, I listen to a lot of rock and alternative stuff, and my interests just don't really fit the mould of a stereotypical black girl. I am a weird black girl.

The issue I had was being comfortable with that. For a very, very, VERY, long time I was unable to see anybody in social media or in the mainstream media like me. I see white girls who are into fashion and girly, but I also see white girls who are being shown as very grungy, alternative and punk. I see arty white girls, nerdy white girls, sporty white girls, not sport white girls. These white girls are being given the opportunity to find somebody that they can relate to in some kind of way in the media, but I'm not.

That led me to just thinking that there was something strange and odd about me - and not in a good way. I didn't want people to know that I liked The Pierces or Lana Del Rey.

It took a couple of years, in fact, it was only THIS YEAR, when I finally became comfortable with being "the arty weird black girl." Not fully comfortable, but at least 75% comfortable most days.

It was because of people like:

☆ icecream-eaterrr.tumblr.com

☆ sensitiveblackperson

☆ fridacashflow.tumblr.com

☆ foxyfries

And many others, that I started to see the normality in my quirkiness.

I think that the main issue that I see that starts this sort of insecurity amongst black kids like myself, is the fact that there is a lack of representation for black people. We can't see ourselves making art and bouncing about to metal in our rooms on TV or in films, so people don't expect us too. And yes, many people would say: "Don't believe what you see. It's just TV. Of course there are exceptions." But how many people actively think that, or have that in the back of their minds when they meet a more punk black person. Or, how many people actively show that they understand that, in the way they respond to black people who don't fit that stereotypical mould? Not many.

What I'm trying to say, is that (from what I've seen and my experiences with the media) being black and not fitting into the mould that has been given to us, is still rocket science to some people. We need more representation in the media, of black kids being stuff other than "trap queens" or whatever. See, I don't even know what that is, or what that means. 

Anyway, black people should be allowed to happen to fit into that mould freely and relish in it, but black people should also be able to feel comfortable and feel normal about being interested in cinematography and Mac Demarco too.