Can We Stop Referring to Black People as ‘Black Bodies?’
Humanize me.
I may have heard and I know I’ve seen the phrase used more than a couple times. Sometimes it’s coupled with the word “Brown.” I’ve been exposed to this pairing enough that it is etched in my brain. And when I think of it, my mind may create phrases you’d probably hear on the news.
“There’s a war on Black and Brown bodies.”
“Black and Brown bodies are not valued in America.”
Now, I’m not saying these aren’t true, but why express the sentiment of racism and racial injustice like that? When we say “bodies”, we are talking about lives. We are referring to people. People.
We are talking about people with loved ones, people with personalities, people who affect every other person they come in contact with, and people with life inside of them.
But I understand what is meant when these words are said. So before I make the proposal that titles this article, allow me to assume the role of a kind of “devil’s advocate.”
The best interpretation I’ve made about the phrase is, in the context of racial injustice, it’s kind of a play on how Black people are believed to be viewed.
Some people look at…
