Skip to main content

How Many Times


Before seeing a white man murder a handcuffed black man by kneeling on his neck in public, in broad daylight, how many times did you not believe perceived outrageous claims of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color because they were unfathomable to you?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for reading Leslye's Labyrinth. I welcome your comments.

Popular posts from this blog

Why I Write on Race

No, this is not what I wanted to do.  I did not choose this as my path, but it is the path on which I journey. At this time of my life, it is the path that must be acknowledged and no longer resisted. A deep sigh reveals my coming to terms with the convergence of my lived experience, my gift of words, and this moment in time.  As a citizen of the United States dealing with the heinous and flawed construct of race is inevitable. To speak about it requires inner work that I wanted to avoid. Included in the work is one essential question. Has the racial system been designed to privilege or oppress people? While many of my fellow citizens may  deny that race is relevant to them and in their lives, for those of us who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), the truth of our nation's original sin is our lived experience. It is no secret. My parents sought to shield me and my siblings from the oppression that infiltrated our lives in an apartheid system. Even ...
6 comments
Read more

Broadening Perspectives

The recent extra-judicial killing of George Floyd and others is causing many Americans to question the various forms of racial bias in our society. While those from the First Nations and of African descent along with other people of color have lived experience of this violence and its embodied trauma. Seeing Floyd murdered from the comfort of their homes seems to have pushed many who identify as white to cross the threshold. For them, denying the existence of racial injustice in 2020 is no longer an option. As perspectives are broadened, questions arise.  It as though a bright light bulb has been switched on in a dank cellar providing a stark view in direct conflict with the ideals the nation espouses. What is seen is the oppressive legacy of 400 years of white supremacy and its perpetuation in real time.   The arts are one way in which "heroes" are created and celebrated to shape the stories we know.  The removal of statues and other artwork honoring men who contrib...
Post a Comment
Read more

I Didn't Break The Cookie Jar

Young children practice interesting behaviors in a number of situations. One of the most common is expecting their words to bridge the chasm between reality and what they want reality to be. Often, even before being questioned, a young child will provide an answer to distance themselves from reality. "No, I didn't do it." "No, I wasn't playing with matches." "No, I didn't leave the door open." "No, I didn't break the cookie jar."  It is as though their words will function as a magic wand to resolve an undesirable situation. Hopefully, they soon learn from experience that personal desire does not empower words with magical powers, and the ability of parents and older siblings to reason prevents them from being as gullible as hoped.  Unfortunately, there are adults who never learned that denying a behavior does not make it true. They continue to believe that regardless of the context their declarative statements have the capacity to...
Post a Comment
Read more