Talking about racism I want to say and do the right thing but I don’t know how. Stylejuicer is all about aesthetics, dream homes and interior design – entertainment and escapism from the often harsh realities of life. It’s about visual pleasures. I don’t write opinion pieces. I select, edit and critique pretty things. It may seem shallow to some people but it’s just as important to our health and mental wellbeing as food, exercise, rest and sleep.
I’m a visual person and I need harmony and balance in my home and life. But something is wrong with the optics right now and this is the moment to acknowledge that I am a beneficiary of systemic racism. I’m privileged simply because of where and to whom I was born.
I have never experienced racism. I only have a vague second hand understanding through my mixed race partner and his black dad. So I’m writing today a little bit about grandpa who went to the same high school as George Floyd in Houston, Texas. Grandpa is a tough man with a loud, deep voice and a big smile who has overcome disadvantage and poverty through education.
Seeing the current Black Lives Matter movement I can slowly put more context around some of the stories he’s told me about growing up during segregation. One particularly harrowing example was when a local white shop keeper shot a black woman simply because she complained about the milk being off she had just bought for her baby. I didn’t ask if the shop keeper was brought to justice. I strongly suspect not.
Grandpa had the intelligence and foresight – maybe instinct – that the only way out of the ghetto was through education. He was one of the very few African American’s who got a degree from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and topped it off with a PHD. He later worked with the police on the Indian reservations where he continually encouraged youngsters to get an education.
Though he settled in a white middle-class neighbourhood in Colorado the racism didn’t stop. Crosses were burnt on his lawn, bricks thrown through the windows and his son was given a 10 minute head start when school was out to escape the bullies who kept beating him up.
My mind just boggles at these stories. I simply can not comprehend. Even more so knowing that this is by no means the most raw and terrifying account of racism. It’s a tiny glimpse into what is normality for far too many all around the world.
Now is the time to show support. You can donate to causes, sign petitions, support black business owners and most importantly keep listening and learning.
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Below are some links you might find useful via Time (Out) In.
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