Mississippi- (no other title needed)

 

To the person or persons responsible for this… bless your special little hearts. It must be awful to have been locked in the bathroom for so long, playing doctor with your sisters and first cousins, that you have no idea that the paint from your paint by number set is washable. It only took a bit of soap and water and some “elbow grease” and the sign is all fresh and clean again. We realize it’s likely that your brother/daddy gave you the paintbrush and the kahunas to complete this pathetic little deed (and let’s face it, the paint brush was definitely the larger of those two little toys of yours) so we know you’re not to be blamed one hundred percent. We’ll be glad to give credit where credit is due – if ever “you people” decide to step forward and own up to your handiwork.

This area is so small that it’s very likely that the responsible party or parties live, work and play beside a multitude of African Americans each day. It’s also likely that the perpetrator(s) is a member of one the churches here in town or perhaps the son or daughter of the pharmacist at one of the local pharmacies or the president of one of the local banks. Who knows? Racism and hate run very deep here in the south.

This goes out to each and every teacher, fireman, pharmacist, police officer, etc who feel a need to “throw the racism rock” then hide his or her hands: As you work next to me and/or any other African American, and as you smile in our faces, while secretly hating us and wishing we’d go back to the motherland you must keep something in mind. According to all the history books your forefathers “invited” my forefathers over… and also, according to the history books, it was an invitation that COULD NOT be declined. Fear of being shot (and killed), beaten (to death), hanged (in some very public place), etc.. was a real and true consequence. Of course , there were many who had no interest in making the trip over on the big ship with “Massah” at the helm. Those people were MURDERED by your forefathers… and you think you’ve got reasons to be pissed? Really? Ok… In other words, the invitation didn’t include tea and crumpets so thousands and thousands of my ancestors “accepted” and were shipped over… again…with “Massah” at the helm. Now I’ll let you do the math and if you come up with anything that makes any sense at all please feel free to share.

So I shared all of that to get to this…

As you go about your day to day lives, clandestinely loathing me and all things African American, you have your own ancestors and forefathers to thank for taking mine for a ride!

In closing, allow me to say this:

I will never apologize for being me nor will I apologize for the things that I believe in. If you think otherwise and feel the need to ask or suggest that I do then you, in fact, owe me an apology. I love the skin I’m in and I can look myself in the mirror and be proud of the person looking back at me! Can those of you who are offended by the things I’ve stated, and/or those of you who are hell bent on spreading hate and discontent, honestly say the same thing?

I am not a “mad Black woman” I am a realist. Let it go folks! Nobody’s perfect but we all deserve a fair chance at trying to be so live and let live!

P.S. We may be in LAST place when it comes to accepting the recent SCOTUS decision and in LAST place when it comes to removing the confederate flag but we, the citizens of Mississippi, are still in FIRST place when it comes to hatred and racism.