For Black Americans, Freedom is Conditional
By Calvin Eaton and Emily Hessney Lynch
Published June 5, 2020
When you’re Black, everyday activities are impacted by racism and it’s terrible for your health. Today’s blog post is based on a conversation with Calvin Eaton, Founding Director of 540WestMain Communiversity.
From Calvin, on June 5, 2020:
“I just started to get ready to go to 540 today to do some solo planting and transfer plants, and put out signs for our collaboration with the Good Soil Project tomorrow. Now, I’m thinking with protests planned for 1pm downtown, I could be pulled over by police en route. I don’t want to risk it, especially while I’m technically on quarantine. I’m legit devastated that something might or might not happen. There is so much evidence that the worst could happen. On this beautiful Friday, I’ll just stay indoors.”
Police brutality and systemic racism impact real human lives and how they move through the world, every second of every day. A white person would have no problem heading to the business they own to take care of their plants on a sunny Friday in June.
For Calvin and other Black folx, everything is always conditional. You have to act the “right” way. You can’t exude Blackness in a way that threatens white people. You have to cut your hair a certain way or shave a certain way. Freedom is conditional.
Calvin asked me to share our text conversation on the blog today because he believes that real life dialogue needs to be shared so people can understand what the unrest and protests are all about. None of this is hypothetical. It’s all very real. We need change now. Read, listen, learn, and use your voice. Say their names: Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd. Countless others. We implore you to use your voice. To do something. Our Black neighbors should be able to move through the world freely like any white person does.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself today and every day:
- What local Black-owned businesses can I support?
- Have I listened to a Black person today?
- Where can I donate?
- What actions have I taken to dismantle racism today? This week?
To learn more about 540WMain, an antiracism organization, visit their website and consider making a donation today.
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