For every Black person feeling fatigue:

Kariyma Murphy
Aug 25, 2017 · 1 min read

Written post-Charlottesville riot

They get to go home. Put down the signs. Take off the bandanas. Bury the tweets. And you have to keep being Black in a nation that doesn’t want to be your home. Kaitlynn and Kenneth from the local liberal arts college will try to use every bit of your energy to back their allyship. Wilbur and Wendy wrapped in antifa uniforms will try to claim you’re not doing enough. Jackalynn and Chaddington are going to spin your head around in circular debates, leaving you stretched thin in exhaustion, but the thing is—white people can’t tell you how to resist white supremacy. Being Black in America and existing is resistance.

We continue to exist in a nation that offers trinkets of “peaks for racial progress” and then aggressively dismantles our pursuits for equality. Lincoln wanted freed slaves to emigrate to Africa after emancipation because he believed Black Americans could never coexist with white Americans. Waking up Black and refusing to let the weight of white supremacy paralyze you is an endless resistance. On soil established from violent history and short-lived victories—breathing is defiance.

Keep your heart on your sleeve, but guard it.

)

Kariyma Murphy

Written by

21, graphic designer and culture observer. kariymamurphy.myportfolio.com/

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade