It’s been one year since the cops murdered George Floyd. It’s also been weeks since Palestinians continue to be harmed and ethnically cleansed by the IDF and Israeli government. On top of this, Uighur Muslims continue to be oppressed and ethnically cleansed in camps in China. There was a Hijab ban in France, there’s genocide in Ethiopia, and so much more going on that’s harming the BIPOC community. Seeing these headlines, Instagram posts, and “evidence” from crime scenes that show the brutal loss of life is painful, emotionally draining, and just goes to show that the world isn’t accepting of BIPOC. Despite the changes that many big organizations claimed were going to happen when Floyd died, we still see no differences in police brutality. Similarly, during the Gaza violence initiated in 2014, many people supported Palestine, yet the same trend continues seven years later.
These headlines and lack of change are painful to witness. Therefore, now more than ever, us BIPOC need to take a break. Put your phone on do-not-disturb mode, take some time out to journal and reflect, and find ways to cleanse your space. Make yourself a warm meal, spend time with family, or even just catch up on sleep. If you’re looking for more long-term change, maybe get rid of those “friends” who fail to acknowledge injustice and violence against BIPOC and talk to your co-workers or supervisors about making your workplace more inclusive. Always remember that it’s not your job to educate anyone on critical human rights issues, and often it can be even more draining for you.
Lastly, I would like to mention that taking breaks and detoxing our spaces are also “Western” solutions that are not convenient or realistic for BIPOC. We must work harder, longer hours in order to prove ourselves more, and can’t just take a break to avoid dealing with a toxic co-worker. The issues mentioned here require the intervention of larger forces and more significant change that needs to happen to make the world more inclusive. Unfortunately, the reality is that we cannot do this alone, which is where our allies come in. If you’re an ally talking about BIPOC issues and injustice, keep on doing this and helping elevate our voices to reach a larger scale.