I’m a writer. I take my pain and shape it into words. So today, in the face of more violence against people of color in this country, I wrote a poem.
Racism is not a black problem. It is a white problem. It is imperative that white people educate themselves about racism, listen and validate the voices of people of color, and that we take an active role in staunching the wounds and lifting the yoke. The recent protesting has been drawing attention to this cause, making more people re-evaluate their opinion on the movement. Many more people are realizing that there is injustice for the black community, and many are looking to help however they can. Whilst attending protests draws national attention, it’s important that more is done until change happens. Thousands of brands and businesses have also been getting involved in the moment recently, with many of them donating huge amounts to fight against racism. Whilst it can be difficult for businesses to know how to go about marketing throughout this uncertain time, there are resources like this article that hopes to explain how businesses can support the movement effectively. There are millions of people looking at some brands and yet they’ve done very little to help the movement. No matter whether the business is small or large, everyone has a part to play in this fight.
After the poem you will find links to start doing the hard work of healing the wounds of this country. Join hands. Put your shoulder into it. We can help write a different future.
THIS IS WHAT I KNOW ABOUT WOUNDS
I am gut-punched, hollowed out.
I am grief-broken and angry.
I could list the dead for hours: Sandy Hook, Orlando, Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Dallas-
There is ample pain to share.
Daughter, mother, wife, friend. I am these things.
And I have had my heart ripped from my chest by loss.
I know wounds.
This is what I know about wounds: they do not go away.
I will always be the mother of a dead child.
I share this with:
Sandy Hook
Orlando
Philando Castile
Alton Sterling
Dallas
We know wounds.
The wound of America is domination
gaping, bloody, seeping
It doesn’t go away.
We don’t get over it.
We built a country out of human flesh.
That is a fact.
And now-
A wound does not heal when it is
ignored: you’re okay
demeaned: it’s not that bad
prayed over: this is part of the plan
unshared: not my problem
A wound untended goes into sepsis
and the system-that body with the beating heart-fails.
So hear me:
I see the bodies.
I see the guns.
I see our flesh-country seething, suffering, dying-
And also trying to live.
This wound:
It is not okay.
It is worse than you imagine.
No good God planned this.
It is my problem.
It is my problem.
It is my wound.
Our wound.
This is what I know about wounds: they do not go away.
But they can be carried.
If we
see
listen
struggle
claim
If we do these things-
the living flesh can bear the scar.
