7/18/2016 0 Comments Waiting to Exhale by Shae Omonijo“When we revolt it’s not for a particular culture. We revolt simply because, for many reasons, we can no longer breathe”
-Frantz Fanon The stress of it all is quite frightening The past few years seems like we’re all just holding our breaths until the next one happens again And it's scary because you realize that it WILL happen again For as long as the system favors the oppressor over the oppressed Fails to recognize its frailties and its problems The socio-historical backbone in which the system was founded more bodies will continue to fall against the concrete. I have come to realize that the American dream is not hyphenated for a reason. When the principles of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness were said into existence I was the pedestal on which these men stepped in order to make that declaration. To be born black is to be born into a defensive mindset To learn from a very young age that to be black is to be in a constant state of self-defense to constantly have your guard up waiting for the next blow. In fact, to be born otherwise, is to be in a place of privilege I honestly do imagine what it must be like to wake up every morning and know that your life, your humanity, your mind is not being threatened To breath the unadulterated breath of life The state of blackness is this: the black man or woman has been waiting, holding his or her breath at every possible moment throughout history. We held our breath when we wanted to see if American independence meant our independence too. We held our breaths to see if Women’s suffrage meant our right to vote too. We held our breaths to see if our education system would really be equal now that they are no longer separate. After a while one begins to wonder whether we’ve been holding our breaths or if we’ve had our throats clenched by the same people who claim that they are not there. We’ve been holding our breaths for so long we’ve forgotten how to exhale.
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