{"id":2025,"date":"2015-09-13T00:01:57","date_gmt":"2015-09-13T04:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/?p=2025"},"modified":"2015-09-15T18:26:16","modified_gmt":"2015-09-15T22:26:16","slug":"am-i-a-racist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/archives\/2025","title":{"rendered":"Am I a racist? Are you?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"We<\/a>Am I a racist?\u00a0 That is a question I have never pondered until recently.\u00a0\u00a0I was taking my cat to work last week, and he got on the\u00a0topic of “Black Lives Matter.”\u00a0 He\u00a0stated that several of his friends had approached him to\u00a0help\u00a0them publish a few articles.\u00a0 He was interested and floated the idea by me.\u00a0 Initially I told him: “Stay away from that crowd.”\u00a0 I didn’t mean it\u00a0in the way it was taken.\u00a0 To me, the political conversation and the hash tag are inseparable.\u00a0 That was the point of\u00a0contention.\u00a0 The point we just couldn’t come together on.\u00a0 This article is my way of talking through the issue.\u00a0 I encourage you to respond with the ways of my erroneous thinking.<\/p>\n

His point was focused on the hash tag only, stating that I read too much into\u00a0it and the political movement was separate.\u00a0 I disagree; and at the end of\u00a0writing this entry, still stick to the premise that the two are inseparable.\u00a0He went on to explain that there is no way I could comprehend the meaning, as my life experiences did not include being the subject of racist actions.\u00a0 He is right; I have not personally been on the receiving end (at least to my knowledge).\u00a0 However, I do know that you need to judge people on an individual basis – and not lumped together as a group.<\/p>\n

I have (had?) issues with the phrase itself.\u00a0 To me all life is important, no matter the color of the skin; we all bleed red.\u00a0 When I see the movement on TV, it is often accompanied by violence, not neccessarilly against the police; but against their fellow citizens.\u00a0 The rioting in Ferguson, Baltimore, and other locals throughout this country.\u00a0 You want to voice your anger with the police; fine.\u00a0 But why do citizens burn and destroy the property of their fellow citizens?\u00a0 I do not understand; and hence cannot support an organization that supports that kind of behavior.<\/p>\n

Where should I go for information?\u00a0 There is no better place than the source itself.\u00a0 I read an interesting, to say the least, interview with one of the founders of Black Lives Matter: Alicia Garza<\/span><\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. \u00a0It is an affirmation of Black folks\u2019 contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

– Alicia Garza<\/em><\/h6>\n

I have to admit, I take issue with a few things\u00a0Ms. Garza\u00a0says; but I cannot refute all of it, as each person’s life dictates their reality.\u00a0\u00a0 Ms. Garza states there is more quite frankly, and this is where I get off the bus.\u00a0 She states, that when speaking of Black Lives Matter, the conversation is about ways in which:<\/p>\n