Do we ever truly identify and resonate well with racism? In the eyes of a black man, it is easy to find where conceptualized, institutionalized and systematic racism stem from. Now, it is easy to walk away from ignorance and rudeness of someone who has no idea what they’re talking about. But, the problem is today we live in a world where that is not possible. With the countless murders within our own community and outside of it, as a black man, I am losing people who look like me; fading away fast with no way to return. As a black man, I am endlessly bombarded with the stigma of being “a threat” or “overly aggressive.” But it is not only me, black women, the most undermined, unappreciated, uncelebrated women on the planet suffer more harshly. But this poses a problem, I was told along with millions of other Americans that “All Lives Matter.” If that’s true, then why is it that black men are convicted four times more than white men? Why is it that black women face cultural appropriation? They are fetishized for their assets, lips, hips, brains, hair, melanin and gold-dipped skin. Black men are fetishized for the appendages, big muscles, wavy hair, swag, ability to overcome adversity and humanitarian ideology.

Although, to conclude and to close my thoughts on what privilege and supremacy looks like, it is not calling out those who look like you on their behaviors. The behavior I’m talking about are the ones that believe since racism happened for only 200 years. Moving past it is easy. That behavior gives people entitlement to say, “Just follow the rules and you won’t escalate the situation.” It also those same behaviors that again appreciate my culture, listen to rap music, wear baggy clothes, pander to the black community, use my culture as a costume and have no reason to why they can’t just be themselves. These behaviors clearly speak for themselves, but in my eyes, I don’t worry about what becomes appropriated or celebrated. That reason is because the best form of imitation is flattery, the wearing of the clothes, hair, operations to have the lips and butt are something natural to my community and culture. This is addressed to all. This is addressed to those who strongly value supremacy and privilege and reap the benefits. In my eyes, at the end of the day having others assimilate to my own culture even with supremacy and privilege in the palm of their hand speaks volumes. In my eyes, celebrating my skin and attributes behind closed doors shows what strides taken to secretly represent what some love to hate.