Member-only story
Why Being Black Feels So Overwhelming Right Now
A Call To All White Women
For some time now, I have been experiencing writer’s block. I struggled through 3 weeks of a poetry masterclass with a published author with this writer’s block with nothing fit to trigger a reason to get back into storytelling. That was until a few days ago when I watched a girl who couldn’t have been more than 11 years old scream as her face slammed into the dirt by a much older, much larger police officer on top of her. I was traumatized, because that sort of content is traumatic and that’s why I do not share that kind of content on my page, ever.
But as I scroll past, and carry this emotional labor in secret, I wonder if I should have shared for the greater good. So instead, I post helpful articles describing what is happening in a non-threatening and engaging way. But somehow it still feels like a bombardment to my non-black followers and friends. If it feels overwhelming its because we are overwhelmed. It is overwhelming to watch something like that and go to work, and talk about reporting, or host status calls or client presentations. And I wanted to break down what that looks like for you.
Imagine you are on your way to work, and you see the ticket officer physically assault a woman in the train carriage next to you. The train is moving, and you cannot get to…