My Baby's Black Life Matters

The weekend before last my family and I were in Northern VA and DC for other reasons but decided to stop by the newly named Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington DC. I'm originally from Alexandria, VA so when my sister and I were young we spent lots of time in DC and were able to visit all the monuments etc. My almost six year old has not visited those same landmarks and therefore I want to expose her to all of the history in the nation's capital. This was on our list of plans for the summer, pre-Rona but we did get a chance to see a few things while there. When we ventured out to newly named Black Lives Matter Plaza, which leads right up to the White House most of the crowd that you see on television had leveled off but there was still a aura about the place. There were folks selling t-shirts promoting black empowerment and the call for unity and equality for Black Americans. Now, what baffles me is that majority of Washington DC's population is Black but when you are near the White House it seems like it's another location. That's why it's ironic to me that we have to bring attention to black lives in a city that is saturated with blackness. Nonetheless, trying to explain to a five year old what is going on has been interesting. I explain to her that sometimes people aren't treated nicely because "we are brown". As I mentioned before, her challenges with loving her skin were the main reason for me starting this blog and movement to celebrate our culture in the first place. When my baby asks me "why" and I really dont have an answer other than the fact some people think you are not equal to them if you are brown but you are. You are just as great, just as smart, just as beautiful, just as talented as anyone else. She looks like she understands but I know she doesn't. I remember when I was pregnant with her before I knew I was having a girl I was terrified of having a little black boy coming into this world. What do I tell him? How do I prepare him for the fact that he will always be prejudged no matter what he does or where he goes? How do I keep him safe in an environment that automatically sees him as a threat? The year prior I had watched the whole debacle of the Trayvon Martin case and other cases, which probably increased my anxiety about the situation. I really sat there and felt like, dang, you could really be minding your own business and because someone sees you as a threat everyone thinks you deserve to die. That's the reality we are living in. Then I had to realize it's not just for the boys but also for girls, we are not safe either. In the streets, in our homes, at the doctors office where we have to beg for people to run testing on us because many times they write off how we are feeling and our ailments and down play them when they are brought to our healthcare providers attention. We also have to deal with the reality that when one of our girls goes missing, it's rare that it gets the same media attention and coverage as our counterparts to help in our search. We are overlooked at times for our ideas and business ventures even though black women are the leading demographic group or entrepreneurs as well as one of the groups that is leading in being the most educated. There is this constant undertone that we are not held to the same standards and we have to continue to work to negate that stigma. we must have these talks with our kids as early as five or younger. We have to prepare them for a world they playfully do not know exists. We have to prepare them for when they are the only black kid in the room and how to handle themselves. We have to shown them that as our former First Lady Mrs. Michelle Obama stated that "when they go low, we go high". I was excited to see my girl excited and starting to understand about her surroundings. She is probably more well aware then when I was a child so I am confident she will feel empowered as she goes on. One of the shirts for sale by one of the vendors my daughter loved and she kept saying the phrase  "Black Girls Are Lit"... I loved it and loves that she is loving being just who she is.