#BlackOutTuesday
- Nona Dimitrova
- Jun 2, 2020
- 12 min read
#BlackOutTuesday except I will not be blacking out or going silent. Speaking up is more important right now.
I have taken a couple of days to try to gather myself and my thoughts, and really understand what I want to say, where I stand; educate myself through others' opinions and knowledge in order to assure I have a foundation to lay on. Unlike a lot of my other posts, this is going to very systematic and organised, but I feel like this is the best way to do it while also ensuring it is information packed and not repetitive. What I want to address in this blog post is a couple of things; least important of all, where I stand, as well as why I have refrained from posting on my social media; I want to share some posts, tweets, videos, et cetera, which I have found incredibly helpful in helping me build my knowledge and form a coherent opinion (which I think is imperative in order to facilitate you to have an educated, well founded discussion with your friends and family); as well as tangible ways in which you can help from anywhere around the world.
PART 1.
Right, I've had a lot of trouble being able to express my thoughts in a coherent and eloquent manner, and I often end up contradicting myself, questioning what I say, going back on my statements, et cetera, but here's my best attempt. I think the whole situation is absolutely enraging. I recognise that it has been this way for far too long, and this is why I can confidently say I fully understand and support the people who have decided to manifest their protests in more violent manners. Do we all wish this could be solved peacefully? Yes. Do I think it can be? No. Unfortunately, if you refer to a US history textbook it becomes apparent that change comes from rage and violence. People will be quick to jump and say "yes, but people's houses are being burned down, small business are being lost...", but what about all those houses being blown to fucking bits in the middle east? People lose their livelihoods every single day, all over the globe and nobody bats an eye because it's not happening to them. Do I think it sucks? Yes, I think it's awful. But I also fully understand the rage, and the idea of this being the last straw; at the end of the day human lives, and eliminating the issue at hand dubs any TEMPORARY damage. Structures can be rebuilt, the inadequate mistreatment and loss of human lives cannot be. This is part of recognising our privilege, when you can even consider anything other than the idea of shouting in rage, you are privileged, in one way or another.
Like I have said, I've used these past couple of days to gather different points of view, talk to people, attempt to understand better. I am extremely lucky to have been given the opportunity and privilege to attend an international school my entire life, which I think was imperative in laying the foundation of the person I am today, and the views which I hold. Bulgaria is no stranger to systematic, as well as passive racism, and I strongly believe if things had gone another way for me, perhaps I wouldn't be writing this post right now, but regardless, I am grateful that I am. The reasons which have stopped me from sharing anything, other than a peaceful protest taking place in Sofia, for my Bulgarian friends able to attend to see, is manifold. I am not excusing myself, I am not justifying my actions, and I am not talking back. I just want to lay this as a foundation, as to why I am doing what I'm doing in the manner that I am, and why I held off for a while. I am very present and vocal on social media, however, after the recent blowout, something didn't sit right with me with posting to my stories, et cetera. I didn't want my activism and allyship to come across as performative, fake, virtue signalling, or simply jumping on a social media trend. I've been finding it extremely helpful to read through posts which others have shared in order to inform myself and form an eloquent spoken and written point of view. I also truly believe in the idea that this is something which I try and want to implement in my everyday life; 365 days a year, not simply spam my stories for a couple of days, and then wait for the next wave. For this reason as well, I have been using the resources provided to me by peers in order to donate, petition, and protest where opportunity allows, as well as why I don't think I will be participating in changing my profile picture, or posting a blackout. I don't like the thought of this becoming a social media trend, where we post something, only to delete it a couple days later, or change our profile photos, only to change them back in a week or so.
"IG is not chronological. We are going to be seeing your black squares for days! Especially because the algorithms will push celebrity accounts to the top of our timelines. We don't need useless feed posts. We don't need black squares.
Sentiments are appreciated. But I feel like we should keep timelines clear and direct right now. You are taking up space right now and it's not benefiting many things except how you feel about your participations.
No one will get a pat on the back for feeling bad. Either don't post at all or post information while this is happening. [...]"
(Taken from @monicagreatgal on instagram)
This is NOT something which should be turned into a SM trend, on par with tiktok dances or story challenges which come and go. This is something which needs to be spoken, no, SCREAMED about every single fucking day, until we see change. This is why I've decided to compile a blog post, sharing resources and points of view, for people's references, which can constantly be updated and added to. One of my friends said something which really resonated with me:
"The reason we are so, so enraged and do not plan on stopping is because sure, it's tiring to scroll and continue to see police brutality, protests, petition after petition after petition, it's exhausting to keep chasing resources and understanding how to be a supportive ally, however, I can just log off social media and continue my daily life. Black people can't. This is their reality and HAS been their reality for decades, we have to show we are enraged with them, we have to show we understand the systematic racism and how it affects them daily."
(Taken from a quote by Jana Alexandra, @1800jana on Instagram)
I am angry. I am heartbroken. I fail to understand how some people still believe the colour of your skin warrants different behaviour. And I want to be part of the change. I acknowledge the fact that I am incredibly privileged, in ways which I didn't realise until recently. So really, this is in the hopes that it helps or pushes even one person to do something, which maybe wasn't on their radar before; I want to use my voice, because I can and because I have to.
PART 2.
Understanding your and white privilege.
This is from a guide made by https://www.courtneyahndesign.com/
White privilege doesn't mean your life hasn't been hard, it means your skin tone isn't one of the things making it harder! (There is plenty of other privileges (socio-economic, male, heterosexual cisgender, christian, able-bodied) but white privilege is perhaps the most enduring throughout history.)
White privilege exists as a direct result of both historic and enduring racism, biases and practices designed to oppress people of colour.
White privilege means you actively benefit from the oppression of POC. → You are the dominant representation on all media → No one questions your citizenship → Products are designed for you first → People at work look like you → You don't get harassed for existing in public locations → Inherited power and wealth → Your actions aren't perceived as those of all your race
Systematic racism exists on every level of society → Black graduates are 2x more likely to be unemployed → Black Americans are 30% more likely to get pulled over → Black Americans make up 40% of the prison population → Black students are 3x more likely to be suspended
Someone said that if you feel like you can stay silent when everyone else is screaming, then you. are. privileged. We (speaking on behalf of those of us who have this privilege), have an unfair disadvantage in life. Our skin colour has inherently in one way or another had a direct or indirect effect on who we are and where are today. Refer to this video if you need a better visual aid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K5fbQ1-zps. As such, it is our duty to use the voice and unfair advantage we have to stand up for those who repeatedly get shut down. Racism is not a Black people problem, it is a white culture issue, just as sexism is not a female problem, it is an issue with male dominated culture. Classism is not a poor people problem, it is a capitalism issue. Homophobia and transphobia aren't queer people problems, they are issues with cis straight post-colonial society. This concerns everyone, and if you think it doesn't concern you because you're not being hurt then you need to check your fucking privilege and also probably unfollow and unfriend me.
"In order to push forward, we need to shift the perspective of oppression being the problem of those who experience it. We need to acknowledge that privilege exists as a spectrum and is an indicator for where the work needs to take place. Expecting marginalised folk to be the ones to deconstruct their own oppression is as good as saying "not my problem" and letting it happen, as it doesn't acknowledge where the problem is coming from. The definition of privilege is thinking that something isn't a problem because it isn't YOUR problem."
(From a post by @munroebergdorf on Instagram)
If you can let your kids play around with a toy gun or a water gun with no hesitation, then you are privileged.
→ Tamir Rice, 12 years old, shot and killed while playing with a toy gun.
If you don't think twice about going out to the shop in the evening while wearing a hoodie, the thought of that being 'threatening' to someone else not even crossing your mind, you are privileged.
→ Trayvon Martin, 17 years old, shot and killed while walking home from 7-11 because he was wearing a hoodie.
If you don't have to think twice about leaving your house to exercise, or leaving your house at all for that matter, you! are! privileged!
→ Ahmaud Arbery, 25 years old, shot and killed while on a run in broad daylight.
In the US, white people were allowed to protest LITERALLY BEING ASKED TO STAY AT HOME, while carrying semi-automatic weapons! Black people are being called thugs and targeted with tear gas and heavy enforcement for protesting the repeated murder of innocent people.
Understanding why "all lives matter" is unhelpful, selfish and passively racist.
This is something which I was quite ignorant to beforehand, and am very happy to have been able to use the resources provided to me to better understand the issue at hand.
This is a culmination of a lot of stuff I've read, so apologies if I unintentionally quote somebody and don't credit them. If that is the case, let me know.
By using the slogan "Black Lives Matter", NOBODY is saying your life doesn't matter. Nobody is saying your life is not hard. This is a call for action. We shouldn't say "ALL LIVES MATTER", because as white people we are not being shot and killed for the colour of our skin, we do not wear a target on our back. The use of this statement is a belittlement of the pressing issue which simply downplays racism. It detracts from concerns and belittles claims of racial injustice. If your friend cuts their arm, you do not offer a bandaid to all of your friends, because all arms matter. No, you offer it to the person in need. If a house is on fire, you do not call a firemen squad to check on every other house, because they are not on fire. Nobody needs a reminder that our lives matter, that is the reality we live in, unfortunately.
The same goes for statements such as "I don't see colour" and "we all bleed the same colour". Anna, @a.nche on Instagram breaks it down really well:
"It is not only purely performative in most cases, but it also completely invalidates the struggles of Black people and it makes them seem like shared universal experiences, when in fact they are not."
Yes, it's incredibly uncomfortable to acknowledge your privileges, but under no circumstance can you make any claims insinuating we're all on the same boat. We need to make the distinction between shared experiences (which we don't have), and wanting the same things (which we do). Just because it's not happening to you, does not mean it doesn't concern you. On the contrary, it gives you all the more power and ability to fight for it.
Understanding the situation.
This is manifold, and can barely be summarised in a single post. Racism has been present and prevalent all around the world, for centuries and centuries; "how can someone who has never been given the space to become empowered grow out of being a victim?" (Anna). This moment in history is not just another cry for help, or call for action, it is the tipping point. It is the pot boiling over. It has been ignored and untreated for way too long.
This is one of the first times in history where white people have been so willing to help and make a change; equivalent to the American Civil Rights movement. It's our time to protest, take the call to action, continue demanding equal human rights for Black people (as well as NBPOC).
We need to make the effort to educate ourselves on the intricacies and subtleties of the situation. "In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist." -Angela Davis. As Trevor Noah pointed out, and made the powerful and insightful comparison, "if you felt unease watching that Target being looted, try to imagine how it must feel for Black Americans when they watch themselves being looted every single day. Police in America are looting Black bodies."
This is partially going off of the topic of privilege, but as white people we must speak up, and we must be outraged. Not just today, this week or this month, but until we feel a bona fide change. I'm not sure who said this, but we must use our privilege to amplify the voices of those who are often ignored or silenced. Part of the issue is ignoring the role and duty you have to solve it.
There's a lot more to be said about this, but I feel as though the whole of this post kind of adds up to it.
PART 3.
Resources.
In advance, thank you to everyone who has shared these, and if you'd like me to add anything please message me!
BLACK LIVES MATTER
→ this contains a lot of helpful resources and verified donating sites
10 Steps to Non-Optical Allyship
→ this thread details how to be a non-optical ally from a Black woman.
LINKTREE: Here is How to Help
→ Contains a collection of different organisations and things you can donate to.
Stream to Donate: How to help with no money or leaving your house.
→ don't watch on repeat, don't watch it in a playlist, don't fast forward or skip, don't skip the advertisements, don't pause the video, watch on at least 480p with half the volume up, comment, like and share it. if you want to watch it again, watch 3-5 other videos, then search it again (don't click it in your browser history)
How you can help from the UK (or anywhere abroad, really)
→ including donating to the Floyd Family gofundme, recommended reading and accounts, signing the petition by ColourofChange, et cetera.
The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale
→ E-book is 100% off (free) right now. Discusses part of the issue which is with police force itself.
6 Books You Can Read to Widen Your Perspective
Racism and Police Violence Protest in Sofia
→ my 10th grade maths teacher has been so great and vocal about sharing resources to his social media outlets, and for those of you in Sofia and not in self-isolation, I really urge you to attend, even if just as means to gain more knowledge.
Not exactly a resource, but some guiders which have helped me better understand my role, as well as what I can do in my circumstances.
Speak up. Use your privileged voice to amplify those who are silenced because of the colour of their skin.
Show your parents the videos that are hard and uncomfortable to watch.
Practice and preach anti-racism to your children, nieces, nephews and younger siblings.
Recognising and understanding that all of the hardships you may have experienced, would have been exponentially harder were you not privileged by your skin colour.
Remember, understand and appreciate the fact that Black culture influences our lives, from music, clothes, food, et cetera. We don't get to be selective about what parts we get to enjoy and ignore.
If I've misstated, or misrepresented something, please, please, PLEASE message me to let me know and talk to me about it. I want understand why I made the mistake I did, and of course alter/fix it to make this as generally accurate and helpful as possible, even if it is just to one single person. If you'd like me to add anything, be it resources, quotes, whatever, please also message me! This is a working piece.
I understand that I may not know enough. That I may be misinformed, or misinterpret some of the delicacies of the situation. I understand that I will say and do the wrong thing, and I won't get everything right all the time. But I'm here to try and learn, listen and do the work to try and make up for it.
All my love,
Nona
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