Is the Apocalypse coming? Reflections about Black Lives Matter, Racism, Activism, and Changing the
Dear Goddesshood Community,
I am with you all the way. I am feeling the pain of the world too, and I am not sure what to do with it. First, a pandemic, and now, riots and demonstrations ignited by the death of a black man murdered publicly under the hands of a despicable human being, which happened to be a cop! The world is definitely shifting and we can't help but feel anger, frustration, disgust, and outrage. Our emotions have been tested over and over during the pandemic, between isolation, inability to congregate, conspiracy theories, people dropping dead, politics, economical challenges, elections, and our freedom of speech slowly taken away, skillfully, by what it feels like a big propaganda agenda.
Is this the end of the World as we know it? Are the bible prophecies and the New Earth predictions coming to be manifested now? Is this part of the drama of this cycle? I am pretty sure something's got to give... there is a New World order shaping up and we must be a part of how this is going to end up! Apocalypse - which means the lifting of the veil - is here!
I confess this has been the roughest week for me, personally, since the pandemic. I have "muted" myself to hold space online to amplify black voices. I have researched. I have read articles. I have observed and made notes. And I have listened to several people speak on behalf of their communities. Ultimately, I have made my Facebook wall a mural to educate people from all sorts of sources I came across. (Pls. check it out here) My first post was on #blacktuesday and I truly had no idea of the details of this initiative, but as an empathetic citizen, I jumped in to support. As the day unfolded and the week went along, I realized how little I knew about what truly goes on in the lives of people of color. I felt the pain in their words, I felt the exhaustion, I felt the inherited trauma passed down from generation to generation. I even tried to understand the "looting and burning:". I cried so much, and I spoke to my colored friends who voiced their own stories of oppression stemming from childhood. I know quite a few incredible people of color whom I admire and love. Their story is usually of rough beginnings and resilience. From the ghetto to entrepreneurship, nothing has been easy. Discrimination has always been part of the narrative. This is something I never truly experienced, and that is what they mean by "white privilege".
As an immigrant from Brazil, I have an accent, but I am sort of white. The kind of discrimination I have experienced as an immigrant is different. In Brazil at least 43% of the population is pardo - multiracial descendants from European (Portuguese and Spanish), Indigenous Americans, and West Africans. Nearly 14% of the population is black. I was never raised racist and never saw people that way. Yet, I grew up seeing a lot of criminals and marginals, as you can imagine, in a country that has historically been poor and corrupt. I have been robbed countless times: from being punched in the head and knocked down from a bicycle while riding back home from high school and have my bike stolen, to having multiple vehicles over the year stolen, mugged on traffic lights, to having my father taken hostage by a highjacker who was escaping a police chase. My top one was to have a gun pointed at my head on the 1st day of the year 2000, all over a camcorder. with a gun pointed at my head at this place "supposed to be the safest in town", to get a camcorder. I have been harassed and attacked in public transportations, nearly molested, and have horror stories that would make you cringe. But never I have associated criminality with color, neither did my parents. It has always been a matter of social disparity about socio-economics, which is normal in third world countries like Brazil.
So have I learned so far?
As I step outside my "white woman bubble" and positioned myself as a neutral observer, I have listened to the voices that have something to express, to hold space, to really learn, and get a better understanding of what is truly happening in the minds and in the hearts of the people suffering from the systematic racism and oppression. I realized something deep about myself in this process: I am ignorant! I have never thought about racism because I do feel it - not as an experiencer and not as a person who feels racism towards another human. I realized that I did have no idea what people of color are truly experiencing for decades.
I am still listening and learning, but there are a few things that are loud and clear:
1. It is not enough to be compassionate, we need to be proactive. This is a reality! We cannot just say that we are colorblind and that "All lives Matter" - of course, that is the ultimate goal, but now it is time for racism to be addressed and eradicated. It will be a long process to change the culture and challenge the status quo, but it starts with the awareness of the problem and our society to make an effort, individually and collectively, to challenge the status quo. We all have to participate in this discussion and come with a solution for all. Let's brainstorm by getting more involved in community efforts. It starts with BLACK LIVES MATTER and there are many other organizations dedicated to this cause already.
2. We need to take upon ourselves to educate our own - you and your children, your family members, your peers. Black people are exhausted! They need a break! Go search in the history on your own. There are plenty of books and resources, including podcasts, interviews, audiobooks, youtube videos, etc...
3. Donate! But that is not enough. Have your business given black people the same opportunity to work? Have you set aside a fund to support the less privileged? Let's start! hire black people!
4. Be committed to be the white friend. Be vocal and be their voice when they cannot. When you are in a group and you hear racism, be the one to call out on that. Do not tolerate those other people to be racist!
4. Do the deep inquiry and see how you, yourself, have acted out racist or passed out judgment. Ask yourself: "What are the parts of myself that supported this. Uncover and heal yourself.
5. Listen, learn, let your friends vocalize their stories, their trauma, their experience, and be there for their healing process. Walk along their side and heal together. We have all been scarred by this outdated model of behavior and thinking.
My heart goes to the oppressed people that have been marginalized due to the color of their skin, something that can only be experienced if you have been incarnated in such a body of color. Also for those who have been affected negatively by people of color somehow Let's heal our society, starting inside of us. There is good people and bad people, everywhere but we are inherited divine. Let us exercise the divine virtues and focus on the Love and the Peace. May all beings be happy and free.
May we all heal as a society so that black lives can have justice, equality, and be happy and free like we are all meant to be. One nation, united, One Love.
I will leave you with this single from my friends from The Wailers, One World, One Prayer. Enjoy:
Resources:
In Goddesshood,
Carolina Luna
