Watching this film
Was like a rainy day
But one when you are inside
Looking at the drops hitting your window.
You are left dry
But somber
Somber but hopeful
That once the sky clears
And you venture outside
You know what to do.
You’ve processed and planned.
You’ve stared at the clouds long enough.
This sky is familiar.
These showers reminiscent
Of the downpour of whiteness
That leaves its shadow
That drowns so many
Voices, feelings, people
That persists
Whether we know or not
Whether we say or not
The myth that persists
That we are a part of sustaining.
We feed the whiteness
We feed the myth
Like water nourishes grass.
We might say otherwise
We might believe otherwise
But we use this myth
As the standard
As the norm
To which we compare
Black and brown bodies
Our own bodies
To which we require our kids
Our children
Our youth
Conform.
By policing their speech, their dress
Their behavior
Their minds.
We sustain it.
This rain.
But it doesn’t rain whiteness everyday.
Some of us won’t let it
Some of us prevent it
Some of us fight.
Fighting to stay dry
Requires we first see
The clouds and the rain
And know we are somber
And know we want something different
And know we want something changed.
Watching this film was like a rainy day
But one where I was inside
Processing and planning
Waiting for the precise moment
When the drops stop falling
When the clouds part
So I can step outside
And find the others
Because we know where we are going
We know what it takes to get there
We walk together.
Watching this film reiterated the direction
Solidified the path
And reinforced my why.