Hardships

Author's Note

Hey guys! Thank you for fucking 1k reads! And all the votes like uhhh are you kidding?!

Like that's absolutely amazing! Thank you all so much...

But moving on to something a bit more significant I would appreciate it if you all could chip in and sign these petitions and if you can donate for the cause.

https://blacklivesmatter.carrd.co

Here are some strong quotes from amazing people about this movement:

Marian Anderson: " "No matter how big a nation is, it is no stronger than its weakest people, and as long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you might otherwise."

Chris Rock: "We treat racism in this country like it's a style that America went through. Like flared legs and lava lamps. Oh, that crazy thing we did. We were hanging black people. We treat it like a fad instead of a disease that eradicates millions of people. You've got to get it at a lab, and study it, and see its origins, and see what it's immune to and what breaks it down."

James Baldwin: "People don't have any mercy. They tear you limb from limb, in the name of love. Then, when you're dead, when they've killed you by what they made you go through, they say you didn't have any character. They weep big, bitter tears—not for you. For themselves, because they've lost their toy."

Andrena Sawyer: ""I can't bring myself to watch yet another video, not because I don't care, but because we're all just a few videos away from becoming completely desensitized. The public execution of Black folks will never be normal."

Toni Morrison: " "The very serious function of racism...is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and so you spend 20 years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn't shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says that you have no art so you dredge that up. Somebody says that you have no kingdoms and so you dredge that up. None of that is necessary."

Robin DiAngelo: "I believe that white progressives cause the most daily damage to people of color. I define a white progressive as any white person who thinks he or she is not racist, or is less racist, or in the 'choir, or already 'gets it.' White progressives can be the most difficult for people of color because, to the degree that we think we have arrived, we will put our energy into making sure that others see us as having arrived. None of our energy will go into what we need to be doing for the rest of our lives: Engaging in ongoing self-awareness, continuing education, relationship building, and actual anti-racist practice. White progressives do indeed uphold and perpetrate racism, but our defensiveness and certitude make it virtually impossible to explain to us how we do so."

Barack Obama: " It's important for us to also understand that the phrase 'Black Lives Matter' simply refers to the notion that there's a specific vulnerability for African Americans that needs to be addressed. It's not meant to suggest that other lives don't matter. It's to suggest that other folks aren't experiencing this particular vulnerability".

Malcom X: " You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom."

Desmond Tutu: "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."

James Baldwin: "It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have."

Colin Kaepernick: "People don't realize what's really going on in this country. There are a lot things that are going on that are unjust. People aren't being held accountable for. And that's something that needs to change. That's something that this country stands for: freedom, liberty and justice for all."

Nelson Mandela: " No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."

Toni Morrison: " If I take your race away, and there you are, all strung out. And all you got is your little self, and what is that? What are you without racism? Are you any good? Are you still strong? Are you still smart? Do you still like yourself? I mean, these are the questions. Part of it is, 'Yes, the victim. How terrible it's been for black people.' I'm not a victim. I refuse to be one ... if you can only be tall because somebody is on their knees, then you have a serious problem. And my feeling is that white people have a very, very serious problem, and they should start thinking about what they can do about it. Take me out of it".

Oprah Winfrey: " As long as people can be judged by the color of their skin, the problem is not solved."

Bob Marley: " Until the philosophy which hold one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned —everywhere is war."

Monique Morris: " Defining freedom cannot amount to simply substituting it with inclusion. Countering the criminalization of Black girls requires fundamentally altering the relationship between Black girls and the institutions of power that have worked to reinforce their subjugation. History has taught us that civil rights are but one component of a larger movement for this type of social transformation. Civil rights may be at the core of equal justice movements, and they may elevate an equity agenda that protects our children from racial and gender discrimination, but they do not have the capacity to fully redistribute power and eradicate racial inequity. There is only one practice that can do that. Love."

George Clooney: " We don't know when these protests will subside. We hope and pray that no one else will be killed. But we also know that very little will change. The anger and the frustration we see playing out once again in our streets is just a reminder of how little we've grown as a country from our original sin of slavery. This is our pandemic. It infects all of us, and in 400 years we've yet to find a vaccine."

——————————————————————-

Again thank you all for the support that you've shown me. I can promise you this book is only going to get more interesting! Thank you all truly, I really appreciate you all and every bit of support all of you have given me.

Stay safe and look out for one another

xx- DasOneBigBoi