We have to be careful.
Don't get me wrong, I agree 100% with the sentiment and have been known to say similar things when dealing with race and racism. But I also live in a world that I have no choice but to navigate with a black label, and not by choice. Racists don't give a F about my personal identity and I have to deal with their perceptions of me. Whether said perception is correct or not. In that sense, I better step up and own my blackness lest or the world will run roughshod over me. This does not mean I internalize their perceptions as my own. This is a delicate dance every person of color eventually must contend with, on some level, sooner or later.
I choose to own the label thrust onto me as an insult because then ... it is no longer an insult. It's empowerment in the face of an effort to disempower.
Race may not be real, but racism is, let's not pretend like disregarding race and loving each other as a big happy family will eliminate racism. It. Will. Not. It actually will let it run freer than it already is because it is built into the system, invisible (unless you bother to look). Racism is more than neighbor hating neighbor, it's baked in the cake. It's not like an appendage one can cut off, it's just not that simple.
To fix racism, we must change more than hearts and minds, we must also change our system. This means policy and politics, this means getting to the reason why race was invented in the first place, because those reasons are still relevant to this very day.
As for Prince Ea, I love him and his work. I've yet to see any of his videos that I don't like. He is out there doing the work for the harder half of the battle - changing hearts and minds. We are a better people having him among us.
I just fear that people will see this and feel they can disregard the other half, and that is not helpful at all.
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