The Tale of Two Americas

Today I have watched in horror as domestic terrorists stormed the United States Capitol while Congress met to certify the electoral votes of the 2020 election. I wouldn't even call it a "storm" because they weren't necessarily met with much opposition. Who am I kidding? There was no opposition. It was almost as if the police in Washington DC were actually defunded. (This is just a play on words, I fully understand what "defund the police" means) There was no tear gas, no rubber bullets, no real bullets.. nothing. These thugs were pretty much invited in with open arms. I've actually seen videos of rioters taking selfies with officers in the capitol. This was a far cry from the way peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters were treated just last summer during the George Floyd protests. It took HOURS for the national guard to come in today.. yet, Kentucky had the national guard present before the announcement was made that the the cops involved in the Breonna Taylor murder wouldn't be taken to trial. This chasm highlights the profound difference in the Americas that white and black people live in.

For white people, America is "the land of the free and home of the brave". White people live in an America where they can freely trust law enforcement. They can sleep in their homes soundly without fear that they may be shot by the police. Little White children can play with toy guns without being considered a threat. Grown ass white men can walk around with AR-15's proudly and without fear that they will be gunned down because law enforcement officers feared for their lives and ultimately, an underachieving White man with no political experience can go on the become the president of the United States. Imagine that. I could go on but hopefully you get the point. Today there didn't seem to be any fear amongst the looters who stormed the capitol. They were all smiles with their cameras out and their Confederate flags in tote. They knew they had the complexion for protection.

Black folks on the other hand are constantly looking over our shoulders, making sure that we comply, or remembering to keep our hands on the steering wheel so that it can't be mistaken for reaching for something, or code switching so that we don't sound too black or straightening our hair for interviews so that we aren't considered unprofessional and we are most certainly not under any circumstances storming Capitol buildings because our favorite candidate lost an election. We know better. We don't live in the same America our counterparts do. I've seen videos of people at peaceful protests with gallons of milk to pour in their eyes when they are inevitably met with tear gas. Just last summer we saw peaceful protesters get shot with rubber bullets so that the president could take a picture in front of church. If the people storming that Capitol building today had been black, I can guarantee you that they would have never made it past that barricade. They would have been shot dead without hesitation. This is the America that we live in.

Black folks have been understandably enraged today as we watched these thugs move about the nation's capitol as if they were on a Saturday stroll in the park. I was talking to a friend today almost on the verge of tears. I was that angry. Black folks have been killed for less. How was it that these insurrectionists were able to storm into this building, vandalize it, and most were able to walk away unscathed? They were white. That is how.

What we witnessed today was the manifestation of "stand back and stand by". It also reinforces several things that we already knew. 1. Police know how to show restraint. 2. White folks have the privilege to do whatever they want in this country. 3. White folks only care about "blue lives" in response to taking Black ones. 4. We live in two different Americas.

If you have ever questioned the legitimacy of White privilege and White supremacy, take a look at the events of today and ask yourself: Could Black people have done this with the same outcome? Could Muslims have done this with the same outcome? Could any person of color in this country have done this and walked out of that building unscathed and not arrested? If the answer is no, I'm glad I could help you come to that the conclusion. If no is not your answer.. Congratulations! You are a White supremacist. You're welcome.