Like others my age, I lived through early modern lynchings.
For me the awareness of it started when I went to college.

There, black RA’s told us what the university was not telling us,
because mine wanted to keep us truly safe — which was our greatest threat to bodily
harm was from middle aged white men, and our bikes were in danger of being stolen
from the black kids nearby.  She said, “Look it up in police records.”

Then there was Rodney King, and the progression forward.
I wasn’t raised that way, but I also know now that being a person of privilege
means I don’t under stand what it is like to be a person of color —
even if I try to mindfully walk in their shoes.

My Chinese friends tell me what they are going through because of what Trump
has said about the virus, even though there is no proof of that from the scientific community — and even if there was, my friends are AMERICANS.

My black friends have told me of being harassed by police for just being black.

Unacceptable.  Unimaginable.

I am not of an age now to put myself on the street in protest,
but I can go dark for this week to show support for POC.

I don’t know what good it will do but it feels right to me.

Be back on the 8th

 ©D. Katie Powell.