A CONVERSATION

We Can't Breathe

I have so much work to share, a post about community I want to publish and goals for December/2015 that need to come about, and yet the events of the past week are so heavy on my mind.

And I’m growing more frustrated with social media and fellow bloggers because I feel they are ignoring what’s happening at this very moment to talk about 2015’s Pantone color, like it’s something groundbreaking--like it is going to change the world.

As a lover of design and color, I would probably do the same thing but I don’t know—the amount of human beings being treated as nothing is increasing at an alarming rate and it’s not important.

The thing that makes me even more frustrated is seeing “big” bloggers posting and tweeting about gift guides and fashion shoots and blah blah blah.

I get you have to make your paper, that you can’t just not post about these things (especially if it’s sponsored content), but it wouldn’t hurt to acknowledge what is going on. But to pretend the world is full of pumpkin spice lattes or peppermint mochas when it is clearly not is just…it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

But let me look at it from a different end: maybe you don’t know what to say. Maybe you want to say something but you feel like you don’t have a place to.

You do. You have every right to take a pause a reflect on what’s happening out here. It won’t tarnish your brand, it won’t make your online space ugly.

If you have questions, ask. I promise no one is going to hate you asking. Let’s start discussions on things that matter.

I had a discussion with a friend about Ferguson when she made the comment, “We were moving forward! How did we go back?” In which I replied, “We never really did. We went from slavery, Jim Crow to New Jim Crow. America’s always been racist, we’ve just hid  it under new laws, rules and prisons.” We discussed from there and it was eye opening. It allows people to come close to understanding a little bit more.

I can also look at it as you not caring but can I pretend that’s not the deal? Can I pretend you just really don’t know what to do?

This isn’t me trying to be irrational or angry for no reason. I’m just so…broken. My heart hurts for those families who have to tell their kids, “Hey, you can do everything right and still be a shooting target.” My heart hurts for those families who have suffered a loss and the murderer gets off with paid vacation, then gets interviewed where they say, “I did nothing wrong and I would do it again.”

Everything just hurts. And though I can’t expect people to feel like me, maybe I want to? Maybe I want to believe part of the blogging community we can use our platform for DIY’s and social change.

Maybe.