R.I.P’d Off (Part 13)

On Friday I was blessed with the news that I’m still in remission. As you can imagine it’s a relief to know you’ve managed to keep cancer at bay for another year.

You can’t help but reflect on life at these times, especially after the reality check that having it and beating it gives you. I don’t entertain certain things or people anymore as I appreciate the value of time, but there are some things that will always grab my attention and OurStory and the equality of my people is one of them.

This past week too many stories had me shaking my head and feeling a whole range of different emotions, proving yet again how messed up certain types can be.

I’ll start with the lesser evil and those who took the time out of their day to bitch about Jamelia addressing the lack of ethnic diversity in dolls in toy stores over here. I understand this wouldn’t be of interest to many but, in my opinion, she does have a valid point and she chose to talk up about it. I read some of the responses from viewers after she appeared on This Morning and they accused her of being racist and causing race issues that aren’t even there.

Well, if they cared to listen she was actually proving the point that there is an issue if you’re a shade other than White. Yes, there are many other colours that aren’t in the mix either, but if the redheads or Chinese want to make noise it’s their choice and right as it is hers. If you don’t want to hear it #WhyDontYou switch off your TV set and do something less boring instead?

I would suggest the hate has more to do with the fact that she’s not afraid to use her platform and chooses to highlight her experiences and the inequalities that she sees. Being the mother of 2 beautiful Nubian princesses myself I have the utmost respect for her telling it like it is and showing our daughters we have a right to talk up!

It’s a bloody hard, testosterone filled world out there and it’s even harder if you’re a woman and harder still if you’re a Black woman. #RealTalk. We have shown resilience like no other during slavery and before then we were queens; we need to regain our crowns and I applaud Jamelia and all of the other positive Black females out there showing their sistas some love and acknowledgement.

Another woman (by no means a sista), who loves to utilise her platform to the max is Katie Hopkins. She decided it would be appropriate to tweet a poster of a new Netflix series Dear White People with the words; ‘Dear Black people. If your lives matter why do you stab and shoot each other so much’, which is as relevant as me tweeting a picture of Criminal Minds with the words; Dear White people. If your lives matter why are you serial killers and psychos. This woman just loves to run her mouth and stir up shit and there are plenty that lap it up.

Although she removed the tweet she’d already said what she truly feels and believe there are plenty who feel the same way as her, and when you get programs like Inside The Gang airing tonight it’s adding more fuel to her fire. I won’t be watching and would urge you to do the same.

I’m sick and tired of trifling Channel5 and their documentaries on this subject. It’s the same content with different characters. Where are the positive, uplifting and inspiring ones of our youth? Trust me they can be written if they choose to do so but they continue to pump out this crap. If you do watch it I suggest you reread  and get back to me on if any of my questions have been answered this time around!

And now we come back to the trigger happy police in good old AmeriKKKa. I was saddened but unsurprised at the outcome that the Baton Rouge officers that took Alton Sterling’s life will not be charged over his death. I’m still trying to comprehend how, even with video evidence, they still find a way to justify taking his life. There is still the opportunity for state authorities to pursue their own criminal charges against Blane Salamoni and Howard Lake ll but I won’t hold my breath!

One officer who did actually get charged over the fatal shooting of another young black teenager is Roy Oliver, who opened fire with a rifle on a car full of teenagers leaving a party. He had said that their car was backing up towards them in an aggressive manner yet their body camera footage shows the vehicle was actually driving AWAY from them.

Now imagine there was no footage. Whose word do you think they’d believe when it came to telling what went down? The new US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said the Justice Department is committed to holding individual officers accountable when they break the law, yet he also believes too much federal scrutiny of police departments can diminish officers effectiveness and hurt morale. Where do you think his priority is going to lie? #NoJusticeItsJustUs

When I see things like Sulley Muntari being banned for walking off the pitch after being racially abused and the Italian football officials saying that not enough fans had taken part in the abuse to trigger action, you know we’ve still got a hell of a way to go.

10 fans is 10 too many and they should be the ones being reprimanded not the player. They eventually decided to lift the suspension after global condemnation but why did it take GLOBAL condemnation for them to see what’s right? Why is it so easy for others to tell us what is acceptable and how much we can tolerate? How do you expect us to “get over” our past when the struggle still remains very much real and little seems to change? #AnswersOnAPostcardIfYouPlease

Congratulations to the 82 Chibok girls who have finally been freed. Here’s hoping your sisters left behind will be joining you soon.

R.I.P to all those who have lost their lives this week.