March felt like it crept by. Every time I thought we were close to the end of the month, I look up and realize it was only the second week. I think it might be due to the long list of items on my to-do list and the deadlines that I had to accomplish this month. Nevertheless, here are some of the things on my mind this month.
01. RACISM WILL ALWAYS FIND A WAY
Miss me with the “why you always gotta bring race into everything” because, in the midst of war, racism is prevalent and on display for everyone to see. When white supremacy stops working so hard, so will the conversations about racism. But this world was divided up by imperialism so there’s no likelihood racism, or the conversations about racism, will ever end.
If you’ve been under a rock – Russia disrespected Ukraine’s sovereignty as a nation and attacked them. However, everyone (re: white people) in the world is flabbergasted that white people could ever experience war.🙄 When you have commentators saying phrases like “this is not a developing, third-world nation; this is Europe” or “European people with blue eyes and blonde hair being killed” or “…they’re Christians, they’re white. they’re very similar [to us]” you can’t help but feel disgusted.
There have been nations experiencing war and various other crises (Afghanistan, Haiti, Palestine, Bosnia to name just a few) but no one has jumped to their aid like everyone is currently falling over themselves to help the Ukrainians. The image of white border patrol agents on horseback whipping Haitians who are looking for refuge will forever be seared in my brain. But the entire world has opened the border – wider than the Red Sea when the Children of Isreal walked through – for the Ukrainian people.
As if that isn’t bad enough, all immigrants in Ukraine that are not white have been forced to fend for themselves because the Ukrainian people are prioritizing the safety of white people. Then for people to deny that this is happening when there are multiple videos available is gaslighting. Reminiscent of agent orange & ’em antics.
While I am praying and advocating for the Ukrainian people to find safety and have peace in their country, I will not sit idly by and excuse the hypocrisy and blatant racism of how everything’s been handled with this crisis. Why? Cause two things can be true at the same time. 🥴 I want to see that same energy if/when the countries that have literally been destabilized by the imperialist superpowers experience a crisis.
02. IT’S ABOVE ME NOW
Now, that I got that off my chest. Let’s talk about these student loans. Since we’ve added war to this parallelogram, my student loans are above me now. Truly. Navient? Who? I don’t know her. My generation has experienced one too many “once in a lifetime” crises and we tired. TIRED, okay? If you think that I’m paying them loans now, I’m not. It’s in the Lord’s hands at this point cause I’m operating in the fact that my loans no longer exist. (Disclaimer: for legal reasons, this is a joke).
03. ISSA REUNION
My former boss, Dr. Ed Latessa, the vivacious, generous, and caring man who was a giant in the world of corrections died at the top of the year. The family had a memorial the weekend of the 12th and it was like a high school reunion with all your friends that you used to hang out with all the time. While the occasion to get together was somber, it’s was bittersweet to catch up with everyone and mourn with the Latessas as they said their final goodbyes.
04. JUDGE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON
Even with the historic nomination of Ketanji, I purposely decided not to watch the confirmation hearings because I knew the disrespect that would ensue and how triggering it would be to watch her endure all the bs. If you think her treatment through this process was bad, imagine how Black women are treated, daily, at their places of work and academia, especially when we are the few of many or the only ones in a majority white space. 😐🥴
I, obviously, know what’s going on because Twitter has been dropping all the tea. Honestly, I’m really glad I didn’t watch because seeing, in real time, questions raised about policy that Ketanji would have no part in, questions from an Antiracist Baby book, or whether someone can say they’re Asian would have been enough for me to pick my tv up and throw it out the window. Especially when Barrett got questions like “what’s the five freedoms of the First Amendment?” and still got it wrong. 🙄🥴🙃
Ketanji is the most qualified, hell overqualified to be honest, Supreme Court nominee of all time. But this goes to show that Black folks have to work twice as hard just to get half. I’m so grateful that Sen. Cory Booker used his time to encourage her. It was everything! There were so many emotions — joy, love, happiness, sadness, all of it! It was the perfect example for everyone to know what we, Black women, mean by support. Meanwhile, Franklin the Turtle has decided that he’s not confirming Ketanji…surprise surprise. 🙄 Yet he hastily confirmed a sexual assaulter and someone who doesn’t know the five freedoms of the First Amendment. 🥴 Have a seat Mr. Obstrcutionist, your white robe is showing.
05. THE INTERNET IS STILL UNDEFEATED
This month, I spent more time away from the internet and social media due to work deadlines and also cause I’m trying to wean myself from spending too much time on there. But the times that I was on, I found reminders of why the internet remains undefeated.
- Tell me you grew up in a Black home without telling me you grew up in a Black home
- Today in, nobody asked…Sis, have a seat.
- Fatman Scoop really knew how to take over a song!
- I’m invisible when I’m on break
- I guess singing does pay the bills
- It’s meee! Except it’s me scolding myself 😩😩😩
- Liberian Koloqua over everything 😂🤣😩😂🤣😩
- I can never say my mother let me be swindled
- Literally do this everyday and everywhere
- This. is. perfect. 😂🤣😩😂🤣😩😂🤣😩
- This is how you know it’s serious.
- You’ve been warned!
