Times are tough. Consistent posts on social media with fighting, strife, and disagreements are everywhere. That being said, it can be really easy to want to delete everything, curl in a ball, and pretend that the world around you doesn't exist. Sadly, this isn't an issue that just goes away. Every day that you wake up, racism surrounds the world. It won't just go away.
When you see those posts, it can be extremely easy to scroll past and pretend that you didn't see anything. I know sometimes it seems to be simple to continue on with your day. I know, most of the time that's my first idea. Until I realize, that that makes me part of the problem. If you see something that you know is wrong, it's important to say something. It's important to educate someone that very obviously needs it. While continuing to let people spew hateful, ignorant comments, it can be extremely hurtful to let that continue. It hurts others, and it shows the world the importance of coming together.
Anything that could potentially undermine the struggle of black people every day could be considered passive racism. It makes their struggle seem less harmful than what it really is. It's important for people, as allies, to recognize that it is not just blatant racism that hurts. It's not just using offensive language that is considered racist. Although that it definitely unacceptable, it's not only that that hurts people. Allowing things like off hand comments, not calling out your family or friends for their behavior, or just pretending that racism is not a very real issue makes you part of the problem. Don't pretend like this isn't an issue. It's not something that's going away soon. Continue to fight. Raise hell. Make everyone know that you are here to fight along with others. Black lives matter.
