Why We Don't Need The "Black Card" Anymore.

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On Sunday night the BET Awards 2016 aired and what came with it will be remembered for the years to come. Jesse Williams blew everyone away with his speech for the 2016 BET Humanitarian Award.

 He stated:

"We've been floating this country on credit for centuries, and we're done watching and waiting while this invention called whiteness uses and abuses us, burying black people out of sight and out of mind, while extracting our culture, our dollars, our entertainment like oil, black gold.

Ghettoizing and demeaning our creations, then stealing them, gentrifying our genius and then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies like rinds of strange fruit," he said. "The thing is, just because we're magic doesn't mean we're not real."
Now you'd think we'd all be good and cool with this, enjoying how honest and black his speech was but here comes one of the OG "Black Card" holders, Mr Justin Timberlake.


 Justin completely missing the point of Jesse's speech goes into the "we're all human" A white proverb that has been used time and time again to dismiss any claims of racism which makes no sense considering yes we are all human but see we aren't all white and we all don't have white privilege.

You may be wondering what I'm talking about and to put it simply it's like the white mans get out of jail free card. Using it whenever they get into trouble to using slurs or stating ignorant thoughts on the black community. Ever since white people have become "cool" by using our culture and becoming R&B singers, rappers and good dancers we've awarded them with these cards or inviting them to the "Cookout". 

 Bill Clinton is a prime example of an ignorant white man who has been given props by Black people for simply not being overtly racist even though his policies put millions of Black men in prison.  He thinks he can speak on black issues as if he's experienced them, as if he knows what his time as president has done to the black community.

So JT did you think that being human honestly stopped us from oppression 400 years ago?

 Did being human save Sandra Bland, Eric Garner or Tamir Rice?

 Did being human save Martin Luther King Jr or Malcolm X? 
  
Did being human decrease the death and harassment rates from the police towards African Americans in 2015/16?

As Jesse said: "We know that police somehow manage to de-escalate, disarm and not kill white people every day."

 Giving JT the black card has made him think that we're okay with his tone-deaf commentary on our issues when his input isn't needed whatsoever, even Macklemore who tackled the issue of white privilege earlier this year hasn't gotten a black card yet he speaks up on our issues? Why do the ignorant white people get a card when they do nothing for us but steal out culture?

In my opinion, we don't need to be giving these cards out, if you aren't black then that's it. No need to help out antiblack white people or non-black POC. We don't need to be out here helping people who co-opt our hashtags, use our slang and culture but then ignore any issues we face. Those aren't the allies we need and/or deserve.


Author: Haaniyah Angus(@hansonIine)


 Editor:@Surrayaa

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