Everyone have different experience that have shaped them in some way. Some experiences may be good while others maybe bad/difficult experiences. All of our experiences are valid and valuable at the same time. We should be careful in discounting someone experiences, because we do not know what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes. Everyone should be safe to talk about their victories as well as their hardships.
The Trauma Of Being Black In America
I am a descendant of black slaves that were kidnapped and brought to Jamaica, West Indies. I am also half Indian. Like many island in the Caribbean we were govern by British laws. After Jamaica won it's independence from Britain we had to fend for ourselves and create a new government. Jamaica began to thrive on tourism, their is a lucky few who are able to make a living of of tourism. While their were others who still struggled. Even though there were a economic struggle in Jamaica, I always felt a strong bond of family around me. I never questioned my identity, everyone was accepting. Skin color was never an issue.
Fast forward, to me at 7 years old and coming to America. The first thing that I noticed was the difference in neighborhood. The Urban community look different than the other affluent neighborhoods. The second thing was the education, I went to struggling schools in the urban community while the schools in the suburbs thrived. Another thing that I learned was what the "hood" were and what the suburbs were. 6th to 12th grade I attended school in a suburban setting. The quality of education that I received in the suburbs, were far more superior than that of any school I attended in the urban community. The urban community struggled to get the funding and resources it needs, while other community had ample resources. The America that I was seeing had a clear line drawn down the middle.
Although, I got a good education in the latter, it was not given without strife in the suburbs. I saw first hand how all the black students were systematically placed in all lower level classes. I also got harassed and got called out of class to be given a letter by the board of education. In this letter I was accused of not living in the school district. The board of education said they would sue and they did random addressed checks in the middle of the night. Officials would come with their flash lights and shine it in my face while I was sleeping. All of these things I've mentioned happened 3 times, the last time my mother had enough and told the school that she would bring a law suit. Only then did they stop harassing my sisters and I. I also knew other black classmates who experienced the same harassment. The powers that be tried to rob me of my peace and a education simply because of the color of my skin. I couldn't believe that this was happening to me. In America I was constantly being made to feel like I wasn't good enough, or I didn't belong her. As a child experiencing this at the hands of adults it was shocking. As I approached high school graduation, there was a high school counselor famous for encourage black students to NOT apply to 4 year colleges. It was clear that racism was being used in a systematic way to stop the success of black people. I could go on, but I will stop here.
Black America have gone through so much abuse and trauma inflicted by the powers that be. Stemming from the violence of slavery, segregation, public lynchings, financial systematic racism and police brutality. Not to mention robbing us of our culture. Violence and the deliberate systematic racism has been used to destroy the black family and community for over 400 years. The trauma and the mental health issues that the black community face is unimaginable. We have been tossed aside and made to believe that we are less than everyone else. Then when we try to speak up about the injustice, we are made to believe once again that the injustice is not valid. Mother's are watching their children being beaten to death on the streets, blacks are dying unjustly here in America and that is a fact. I am a mother of 2 black children and I am scared, I have anxiety every time my children leave our home. To quote a civil rights activists The trauma of being black in America is an emergency.
Finding Common Ground
We don't have to agree! However, we must take the time to recognize and validate the pain of black America. Black America needs healing, we can all play a part in the healing of our fellow American. We are all going through our own trauma in life, we cannot walk in someone else's shoes but we can be kind and be slow to past judgement.
