BLACK OUT TUESDAY

The police do not stop me in the street, they have never put handcuffs on me, they have never detained me, my skin was never a condition of anything. No one made fun of me either. No one made fun of me because of the color of my skin. Nobody excludes me for being who I am. I don’t know what it feels like to be afraid of others. I do not cause fear nor does anyone fear their integrity by seeing me physically.
With all these privileges we perceive structural racism standing from the other side.
Several years ago in Florida (2016), while on the beach with my friends on a Spring Break I was curious to know why the beach was filled with African-American families from one day to the next. My racist question was: why are there so many blacks? Immediately afterwards, a friend responded by alerting me: – ”Sofia, never again say the word black in front of them. If they listen to you, they can even kill you. NEGRO can be confused with NIGGER, they understand it perfectly and it is very discriminatory if it comes from someone other than them ”.
Now I understand … I reflect, analyze and train. Because their lives have more obstacles than ours. Because they are burning the entire United States. Because they ask for rights. Because they claim that their lives matter. Sure they matter. We have socially constructed prejudices, just because of their skin color. How can skin color condition so many social prejudices?
Three months ago, at the Barcelona airport, while I was asking two officers how to get me on a bus, I saw how those same officers stopped paying attention to me and answered my question to requisition three colored people who were passing by with their luggage. Because they are black, they went through more checkpoints. I do not.
Black lives matter. Floyd’s death in Minnesota matters and gave much to talk about, much to say and much to ponder. Knowledge of information is power and freedom of expression.
With this short narrative I invite those who have read it to reflect and act. Perhaps in this way we can cooperate towards a world a little more just. Black lives matter #blackouttuesday ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿