I’m Tired Of Being Black In America

I am a Black woman living in America, and I am tired.

I’m tired of racism and the way anti-blackness creeps into my everyday life.

I’m tired of reading about unarmed, innocent black people being killed by the police for no reason other than racism.

I’m tired of murderers getting away with murder because we live in a racist country with racist laws that only benefit white people.

I’m tired of people not understanding what it’s like to worry if a police officer decides to stop you or kill because they think you’re a criminal if your skin is darker than theirs.

I’m tired of non-black people telling black people to not protest and “calm down, tone policing, gaslighting, and overall disregarding black people when we express our rightful frustration that we can’t exist without our existence always being questioned, punished, or taken away from us.

I’m tired of all the excuses for police brutality against black folks that are never used to excuse white people who have committed similar acts (which is often committing no act at all).

I’m tired of reading about police brutality in the news, on social media, and everywhere I go online.

I’m tired that this kind of racism is happening now, of all times, when we’re in the middle of a pandemic (because racism doesn’t quarantine itself).

I’m tired of seeing my friends cry and express their grief and anger at yet another injustice.

I’m tired of crying and expressing my grief and anger at yet another injustice.

I’m tired of feeling this kind of frustration that has nowhere to go to help people.

I’m tired of being tired.

I’m tired of being black in America.

I’ve spoken my truth on social media. I’m taking a break from reading about it all the time. I need to take care of myself, but that also means I just need to vent sometimes. I need to show myself that my feelings are valid and that I’m allowed to be as angry as I want to because I deserve it.

To every black person reading this: I see you, I hear you, and I feel you. Every bit of anger that I feel, that you feel, is warranted. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

I am tired. We’re all tired. And I won’t stop talking about how tired I am until I no longer am tired of being a black person in America.