“I can’t move…MAMA…MAMA”
Handcuffed, forcefully pinned down on the asphalt, backed by the heavy weight of a body, knee pressed up against the neck, slowly depriving him of life–George Floyd–gasped for air. Uttering what would become some of his last words, “I can’t move…mama…mama…I can’t breathe.” Floyd was murdered that day at the hands of a White police officer while three others watched. As a nation we witnessed the premature death of yet another Black man at the hands of police.
His life was robbed from him at the hands of officers who pledged to “to protect and serve” just as it was from Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Abrey, Tony Mcdade, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tanisha Anderson, Akai Gurley, Sandra Blanda, Tamir Rice and countless others. For centuries we have failed Black America with our silence. In the past week, amidst a global pandemic, we have witnessed the result of accumulated pain, fear, anger, and frustration of over 400 years of ongoing systemic injustice, racism, and abuse against Black people. The countless murders of Black lives at the hands of police, recently provoked a worldwide awakening of people who took to the streets during a global pandemic demanding justice: #ICantBreathe, #SayHerName #NoJusticeNoPeace #BlackLivesMatter are not just hashtags, they represent a plea for solidarity.
Like so many light skinned Latinas who have participated in anti-Blackness, we must struggle and grapple with airing out our own dirty laundry. In airing our dirty laundry, the nasty fumes of decay and the residue of our own uncomfortable selves forces us to recognize that our silence is also a tool of oppression utilized against Black bodies. We understand that if we stay silent as to not be uncomfortable, we are complicit in killing Black joy–Black hope. We must take a look into the mirror and do the dirty work, the heavy lifting. Our Black communities can no longer do it for us. To be a White Latinx does not make you White. Doing the work of White supremacists does not make you White, it makes you their puppet.
The spirit of Floyd’s inner child, that was forced to die prematurely in order to survive in a country that fears Black boys, stood beside him as he cried out for his mother. His last moments are a testament to how Black children have been systematically robbed of their innocence and are forced to learn to survive White supremacy, racism, and hatred. Dr. Bettina Love, professor of Education, through twitter reminds us educators that if you “don’t have a relationship with your students that is loving, trusting, and built on anti-racism don’t show up out of nowhere talking about #GeorgeFloydprotest #protest2020 Also, don’t just teach our pain. Make sure you teach about our resistance.”
We both have been struggling with how to responsibly engage in anti-racist work and leverage our light skin privilege. We realize that the Black children in our lives are far more powerful than we ever will be and that their brilliance is seen as a threat by weak minds.
“But mami why don’t they like my beautiful dark skin?” (Claudia’s 6-year old daughter)
