This has been a very trying and tiring week, month, year, and LIFE, for the black community. Every week I see another one of my brothers or sisters made into art with flowers around them pleading for their justice. People are tired. Racism is not new and is not a secret. The true colors of this country are showing more and more every day as well as the faces of the ones who call themselves our allies.
Today I unfollowed one of my favorite lifestyle bloggers. She was an inspiration and an aspiration to me, a young woman living [NICE] in NYC as a full-time blogger. This week I saw nothing of me in her. People of all races on my social media have acknowledged the traumatic and unjustified actions that happened this week and the endless history of this issue; except for her. She talked about her skincare, how she can’t wait to finally travel again, and how heartbroken she is about the possibility of moving out of her city because of the pandemic. Tone-deaf.
This woman has a platform of over 300 thousand followers and doesn’t acknowledge racial issues by CHOICE. I am in no way telling a person how or what to do on their platform, but your silence is just as loud as saying “Can’t Relate”. No one thinks you don’t know what happened this week or that you are neutral.
As an up and coming blogger, I am fully aware and understand the power of my voice, my words, and my platform no matter how big or small it is. I understand the fear of backlash and being blacklisted that comes with speaking about controversial topics, but if I don’t use my voice when it matters the most, why use it at all.
So dear white bloggers, acknowledge us and speak for us. The new generation of bloggers and the people who read them are bigger than your favorite sunscreen and how you decorate your balcony for the spring. We are about representation. We want you to acknowledge the good, the bad, and the ugly for all of us. Acknowledge the racial discrimination of your readers of color and use your platform to speak for them. Until then, you and your platform are part of the problem.