it All my life people have assumed what it is like to be me. It isn't something I fault anyone. The journey is mine and it is complicated. One thing I have learned and wanted to share is the extra effort that is taken to fit in. How so? Hypervigilance — the elevated state of constantly assessing potential threats around you — is often the result of a trauma. People who have been in combat, have survived abuse, or have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can exhibit hypervigilance. PTSD can be caused by a wide variety of incidents. This is something I learned in school but have a livid experience. I can easily remember walking the streets of Compton, Carson, or Torrance while assessing my worthiness or sense of belonging. It was tiring and part of the reason I changed my work location. At the time, I didn't have the language to description my distress. Now I can and it is appalling. One has to always be on alert and watching if they will be MISTAKEN for someone they aren't. This is tiring and it needs to change. When you hear "Black People are tired," we are and should not have to keep establishing our position of human rights, decency, and respect. At the end of the day, if you move across the street. Clutch your purses. Accuse of not belonging or other pre-assumptions/ bias, this is racism. Clear as day, and arguing the point doesn't change how we feel, or treated in the world. It makes it obvious and it needs to be expunged.
Comments