Monday Musings: Handle with Care
On Queenie & the Dangers of the "Strong Black Woman" Stereotype
“Please don’t hurt me”, Sonya Massey said when police arrived at her home. “Why would we hurt you? You called us,” one of the officers replied. And it was true - she’d called to report her suspicions of someone lurking outside her property. But these officers, whose literal job it is to “protect and serve”, were the men that would go on to kill her only a short while later, completely unprovoked. They would then attempt to change the narrative, claiming she killed herself, despite the fact that they shot her three times while she tried to hide behind her kitchen counter.
I have been called “resilient” as if it is the ultimate compliment a hundred times before. But I did not feel resilient watching that footage. I felt battered and broken, a large, purple bruise spreading beneath the surface of my skin. I felt (and still feel) so very, very weary. And, once again, I’m reminded of how these things do not happen out of nowhere. They start small. With everyday racism, ti…