False Narratives: Do The Right Thing
It’s a windy summer day, the shadow of a thunderstorm that never materializes sulks across the horizon. I find myself lounging on the patio of a loved one looking out upon the lush fruits of their labor, a green cornucopia of premium nutritional density swaying gently in the breeze, the little forest of their food sovereignty.
I take a deep breath and steady myself for a marathon of conversations, I look forward to them actually. Everything from top secret experiments on consciousness and remote viewing to a prediction of a Cuban or Venezuelan rise in power and leadership of my little jewel of a home country Trinidad and Tobago. What I wasn’t expecting to hear was the phrase, “All Lives Matter.”
My heart skipped a beat. I am not sure if I made that classic, ‘Wow!’ emoji expression but I definitely had a moment where I questioned my fortitude to stand toe to toe with this loved person and debate the issue. That brief moment of shock was quickly replaced with a deep curiosity and the understanding that I needed to really listen and hear what the person was saying and feeling.
I am served this general array of historical examples of people that did it right. Examples that were put forth were the Japanese, the Italians, the Jews. They all came to this country (Canada) and faced great oppression. “After WWII and the Hiroshima bombings the Canadian Japanese had their property taken from them, and were placed in internment camps. Did you know that? I bet you didn’t know that,” I am told.
Sitting there on that windy summer day I am given more general information about how the Italians and Jews all faced oppression and various difficulties accessing opportunities to make a good life for themselves in Canada. In an attempt to engage me I am asked, “But did they riot, vandalize property, or loot and shoot each other?”. I don’t have an answer, I remain silent a little longer my mind trying to make the connection. Who are they referring to, the people that are not ‘doing it right’, that are rioting, vandalizing property, looting and shooting each other?
My loved one is trying in earnest to provide examples or facts to support their stance that ‘All Lives Matter’. And I, patiently and silently, am trying to follow their thought process, fully grasp it before I respond. I offer gently, “Are you referring to Black people when you talk of the people who are not ‘doing it right’?” I get a nod of affirmation.
In the mind of my ‘All Lives Matter’ family member there are examples of people that ‘did it right’, the Japanese came together, the Italians formed their own communities, the Jews had their own group, they pulled themselves up. They made something respectable of their communities, they started their own businesses, hired their own, and succeeded despite the hardships they faced.
This nagging phrase of ‘did it right’ referring to the notion that some people have overcome/born the burden of oppression and racism the right way, is one that causes a thunderstorm of emotions within me. There is so much to unpack from this phrase and the false narratives of successful integration, immigration, migration, and a myriad of otherfication that I am still processing for myself. What is going unsaid is the idea that Black people aren’t doing it right, the ‘it’ being how they choose to live their lives with systemic racism and oppression.
A day later my mind is still swimming when I think of this encounter with a loved one close to me. Our conversation continued for some time. I highlighted the fact that Italians and Japanese are national forms of identification, and Jewish people are united by a common faith and for many a home country of Israel. So when individuals unite into groups or communities to fight for causes that affect their people it is clear who and where they are referring to. Black people in Canada are within themselves diverse, they speak many languages, have many faiths, have varying national identities and cultures.
When we speak of ‘Black Lives Matter’ we are not referring to one Black country, one Black religion, or one Black culture. We are referring to any individual who identifies as Black. This is an international statement. Every Black life matters across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, the Pacific Islands, North and South America. That problematic narrative that Black people are not dealing with their oppression the ‘right way’ is putting the responsibility of combating systemic racism and oppression on the oppressed group instead of the oppressor.
My loved one also chooses to ignore from their ‘All Lives Matter’ platform that the very systems that are supposed to protect all lives does a poor job of doing so. Some folks are given protections, resources, and support as their civic right, without question. Other folks, Black folks, Indigenous folks, and People of Color are told to perform for it. Our Black youth are told: don’t wear a hoodie, wear your pants correctly, don’t speak so loudly, speak properly, don’t talk back, don’t listen to that kind of music, don’t dance that way, wear your hair properly, don’t correct me. Behave. The. Right. Way.
It only gets more difficult as they get older. Black folks are continually told overtly or through micro-aggression that they need permission, must pass some test, must act, dress, speak, respond, breath, walk, exist, the right way. What we are seeing time and time again with ever increasing shock is that even if they get everything right, their lives don’t matter. Even if they were to serve their country in the military, pay their rent and sleep in their own bed, pay their tuition and go to their own Ivy league dorms, buy their own groceries and dare to walk them home, come to the aid of a stranger in need, all these right things, even if they did this their lives could be extinguished without reason or apology. And justice does not serve all lives equally.
What if we were to re-frame things? False narrative: Black people are not dealing with systemic racism the right way. New narrative: Police and government are not dealing with their inherent biases, prejudices, and racist actions the right way. The responsibility should fall squarely on the oppressor to change their behavior and actions, to dare I say stop any actions that continue systems of oppression, violence, racism, and vilification of the very people being oppressed. I know how trite this statement sounds, how overly simplistic or obvious this request may seem to some. But we desperately need to change the narrative and flood our timelines with posts where the real oppressors are framed as such, are called in, and held accountable in all areas of our lives.
All these things I say to this person in my life who I love who firmly believes what they believe. I left our hours-long conversation and debate with my own work laid out for me.I find myself, a multi-racial Caribbean mongrel with two distant South American Indigenous bloodlines, earnestly reading the news, reading the works of our thought leaders and activists and talking to the valiant and tireless social justice leaders in my social circles. I am doing everything I can to identify and remove these false narratives in my mind, to identify and be wary of them in the media I consume, to uplift the correct narratives and place them at the core of any efforts to be a better ally, a better footman to help bear the burden and do the work to dismantle systems of racism and oppression. It will be a long process, a real love work, and each day I wake up wondering how I can better champion and care for our Black community leaders, family, and friends in visioning and building a more equitable future.
Another sun sets during this stormy summer and my mind is stuck in that 2020 overdrive state. Some days I don’t know if we’re talking about the same issue(s). For all the social justice warriors, the protesters, the caretakers, the advocates, and funders, and allies, and the very Black lives that we are fighting to protect. When we think of ‘Black Lives Matter’ and the need to end all forms of systemic racism, what are the platforms or narratives that you work from for future mapping, action planning, and next steps? What are some of the false narratives that you have come across and how do you combat them?
