Monday's Opening Thought: March 29, 2021

TW: Anti-Blackness. Hate crime. Police Brutality.

Monday’s opening thought: So... I’m not watching the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer who murdered George Floyd. It's honestly something I don't need in my life.

I do not need reminders of Black mortality in the face of white supremacy.

I do not need to sit and watch as the legal system tries to convince a jury that George Floyd, regardless of anything he did in his past, somehow deserved to be murdered by a police officer kneeling on his neck for over eight minutes, driving his throat and head into the concrete.

I do not need to watch every news network play the complete footage of George Floyd's life being taken. I do not need to see "melanated people pain porn for white consumption" and relive the horror of a Black body being harmed for the whole world to watch while non-Black folx with privilege and white folx offer their "unbiased" [read: racist] opinion across every social media platform on whether Derek Chauvin should pay for his hate crime.

I do not need to watch a trial to know that Derek Chauvin will likely get a slap on the wrist and possibly not even serve any real time in prison for his actions, if at all.

What I do need is to take care of myself, because I already know deep in my soul that this trial will more than likely not end with justice for George Floyd and his family.

I do not need to hear "not guilty." Believe me when I say It is honestly something I do not need in my life.

But I'm getting myself ready to hear it...and to mourn a Black life lost all over again.

If you are Black and decide that you want or need to watch this trial, please take care of yourselves. Take care of yourselves despite the white supremacy all around us and the white supremacist workplace cultures we work in. Prepare for the possibility that you'll be in some form of mourning. Do those things however you like to do them in your own way but please do them.

I don’t want to see y’all lose your lives, mentally or physically.

Your trauma matters. Your life matters. Even if our society is about to likely show us again that we should think and feel otherwise.