Cha believes in the best of us. She desires that we learn to ask good questions. Ones that lead to transformation, open our minds and our hearts. The right questions are ones that help us to be seen and understood.

Cha was raised in the Bahamas where the color of her skin did not impact how people viewed and valued her. She did not know she was “black” until she came to America. She didn’t know that there was a narrative about her skin color. A narrative that she had to fight against. When Cha arrived in America, she felt ugly, not even a girl. Cha felt that she was merely a black body.

When Cha was seven, a white boy called her a nigger. Cha did not know what that meant, but she knew it wasn’t good and realized it had something to do with her brown skin. No adult provided her comfort or protection, no adult denounced the boy’s racist comment. Cha encountered so many voices from children, teachers, and adults that made it harder to love herself, that made her feel less than human. It wasn’t until Cha became an adult to recognize the systemic failure of adults to protect her.

It is important to consider other people’s experiences; it makes us more perceptive, empathetic, and caring. Black people in America have not had the same life experience as white people. The fact that our constitution was amended to make blacks human is a disgrace and insulting. For blacks were fully human before the amendment was written. The original language of the constitution should have captured Cha. Should have captured every black person.

Because of her brown skin, Cha fears the narrative white people have about her, and the nuances of that narrative. White people’s perception of Cha impacts her life. Cha feels like she is shadowboxing; she often doesn’t know what she’s coming up against. Cha fears when others have power – and wield that power – over her. Cha fears for her daughter’s safety every time she leaves the house for a run. It’s an added layer of fear. She worries that someone may have a narrative about her daughter that could pose a threat to her safety.

What is different about the response to George Floyd’s death? Why is the world unifying and protesting now? Whites have the ability to nuance the deaths of black people, rationalizing the circumstances. The was no room to nuance the death of George Floyd, who was asphyxiated under a man’s knee. We cannot ignore his death. The death of countless black people.

Seeing the collective energy and powerful response is fueling our momentum in quest of peace, love, and exorcism of systemic racism. Staying curious and caring about one another will help us listen to and understand each other.

White people can serve as shields for the black people in their lives, their community. That looks like stepping in, physically, emotionally, verbally, to protect. It looks like protecting each other, not leaving black people standing alone. Not today.

We must draw those who are using less peaceful means to express their rage into an inclusive conversation. How? By acknowledging their pain. Understanding that their expression comes from consistently not being respected, loved, or heard. Lacking any modality by which their voice is being heard.

Cha sees many beacons of hope today. We have the capacity to be amazing. Times of peace do not reveal the depth and strength of humanity. Growth and strength spring from the dry and crooked places. The land is dry. The ground is broken. Yet we are rising. Together.

Resources

Get Informed, Take Action

Cha Barefield, Website

Cha Barefield, Test Me

Unexpected Launch Podcast