QUEER ODOR ▽*

Transformation

queergiftedblack:

The following quote is not my words, but I profoundly agree with them. I get a lot of hate directed at me about the things I post and say and speak to around racism and white privilege. I also get a lot of love and support from POC’s and Indigenous People (IP) (and allies) who also share in my experience and we find ways to love and support each other regardless of all the ways that we are required to defend our rights to exist. I try to re-post to share and affirm the stories of other POC’s and IP but I also do this to conserve energy because sometimes I am tired. Sometimes we are all tired of explaining and educating and hoping that thing will be different. And I have no desire to give up, I believe that people can and are transformed on a daily basis. I hope that allies can hear these things, I hope that they/you want to. Pretending that systems of power and privilege don’t exist don’t make them go away. I want us all to be liberated and I want the people who suffer the most under these oppressive systems, ‘non-status’ people, Black People, People Of Colour, Indigenous People… to be heard, affirmed and have the conditions that we live under transformed beyond recognition. I honestly, deeply believe we can do it. Do it with us, not against us.

Thank you to Goddamazon on tumblr, the link is at the bottom.

“I don’t hate white people. In fact, I don’t think it’s possible for me personally to hate anyone, especially based on race. Am I angry at some white people? Well of course, the ones who mistreated me need a foot up the ass and some home training, but does that mean I’m going to condemn an entire race to my wrath? No.

However, these commentaries that you see me reblog, cross-post to my Facebook, or write on here or in my regular blog, are not messages of hatred toward one race. As easy as it would be to throw the entire race of white people under the bus, that is not how I was raised, and it is not in my belief to do that. There is always a better path, one of patience, teaching, and tough love.

You’re angry when you see my words. You’re angry because you don’t like looking like the bad guy. You’re angry because you’re confused. You’re angry because deep down you know the source of that fear and anger is the knowledge in the fact that we are right.

But you don’t have anything to worry about, Angry White People. We’re right about the white privilege, the whiteness of society, the racism, the interracial racism, the colorism as a subset of racism—we’re right about these things, and you’re angry because you think it’s your fault.

It’s not your fault, but by continuing to allow yourselves to remain ignorant of these truths, and continuing to perpetuate the system that is responsible for these social ills…it is your fault.

You don’t want to be the bad guy? Then you have to be willing to listen. You may see or hear stories that are unbelievable. You may get angry because some of us are more volatile than others. But once you’ve learned to swallow the bitter pill, you can learn to be an ally.

It’ll hurt. A lot. A lot of us have stories to tell, most that never see the light of day because there’s no safe place or trustworthy ear to tell them to. Most that never see the light of day because there’s no one who wants to hear them. So we suffer in silence.

But we’re not silent anymore, and there’s decades of pain a lot of us have yet to unpack, that a lot of us need to unpack, and if you really insist on bearing witness to it, then you have to learn to listen. We are lancing poison from wounds that never healed properly or at all. We’re trying to tell you that we can fix this together, but you have to be willing to handle the reality of the situation, first, and that’s that your willful ignorance and indignation upon hearing our stories makes you the bad guy you’re so afraid of being.

It starts with one, but in truth: you and yours are the biggest instruments of change because you are the ones in power. If you all begin to understand and change, then the ripples will have more of an effect.”

” Source: http://thegoddamazon.tumblr.com/post/18105612071/you-are-angry

(via rusty--shackleford)