Get Over It
In one of my summer classes, I was conversing with some of my classmates about something and somehow #BlackLivesMatter came up. As you probably know by now, my posture towards such situations and realities is one of solidarity and compassion. So when I heard the classmate say that African Americans should simply "get over it," I was shocked into silence. The reason being is that this student was in a School Counseling program and I knew that this student would soon be (if perhaps already) working with students for which the majority will be Black and Brown kids. What was problematic was the tone of dismissal and an utter lack of understanding of the African-American and Hispanic experience of oppression and marginalization in the U.S. that continues to THIS DAY. It concerns me that this soon-to-be-graduate's attitude will perceive Black and Brown kids as simply not working hard enough to "get over" the experience of racism that is both personally experienced ...