The Pathology and Zombifying Energy of White Supremacy

I spent my entire middle school through PhD academic career being a bada*s.... Graduated Summa Cum Laude from my PhD program. Same with my Master's program and I got the Dean's Award. In college I received the "Innovative Thesis" award. I have always loved learning and growing through the avenue of formal and informal education. I loved reading, libraries, and writing books as a child.

And, I also have had the predictable experiences of being told by mostly white people that I am "overeducated" and/or "intimidating" once they learn about my pedigree. Not all the time, but historically, it has been white people who covertly or overtly tell me I am uppity.

As a child of the 1980s in the USA, I constantly heard white people whine that Black people just need to work hard, get an education, etc. The lesson I learned early in life is that I should just be respected as 5/5 human and be treated equitably and with love and compassion regardless of my educational, job, or social status. I should not have to prove to anyone why, as a human being, I should not be verbally or physically abused, violated, bullied, or harassed.

Why spend my entire life begging for other human beings not to hurt me? Why does anyone have to prove that? Seems backwards, but, in the USA it seems to be normalized that unless Black (and many other minoritized people) do , x y or z, one deserves to be bullied, punished, subjugated, etc and treated 3/5 human...and then once you do what you were told to do, as a Black person by white mainstream, you are still punished and treated 3/5 human.

So, I guess I cannot win. Nor do I want to try to "win" or play this sick game.

Seems like a great way to be miserable, always seeking approval from the very system that gets off on making sure Black people never find equity, joy, and security.

So, every day I remind myself of the power of self-love and joy, and that I do not exist to placate the pathology and zombifying energy that is white supremacy.

I explore a lot of these experiences through my new Afrofuturist novel-in-progress, Seeds of Sankofa which can be found here at www.abreezeharper.com or by clicking on the image below.