“But why do you care?”

A peer in class asked me this question last week, which is disappointing as we are in a Master’s program to be Mental Health Counselors, a title and position which at its core, calls for professionals to care about those who are likely different from themselves.

I will keep this post short-ish, in the hopes that it will encourage any readers to stay with me until the end.

I feel that if you belong to the majority who is actively and historically at fault for discriminating against and persecuting the minority, that it is your responsibility to act in a way that breaks this cycle of oppression.

I would rather be called a “snowflake” or “social justice warrior” and be told I care too much (and piss people off for challenging their ignorant views) than continue to perpetuate stereotypes or contribute to institutions and systems designed to have us fear the “other”, especially as I believe we have more in common than those with the loudest voices would have us believe.

**plus, as a woman I have been called worse than the aforementioned names, so like, really? Snowflake? Do you see how enough of those can bring things to a halt?

I do not believe that just because the faces being deported, shot by police, fleeing their home lands, or any other number of circumstances do not look like my own, or do not share the same exact struggle or experiences as me, that this is a reason for me to turn a blind eye or say “yeah I don’t care because this doesn’t affect my life at all”.

At the end of the day, we are all human and all want the same things at our cores (see Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs for an intro to psych level explanation). I will continue to lend my voice (or ear) to those who need it, and continue to challenge myself to do better and learn more about who I am and what my position is in the many interacting systems I live in.

March.

So I know this has been designed to be my hiking blog, but I am in the process of restricting it to where “heading north” is more of a metaphor for aligning myself with my own true north, aka being true to myself and all that good stuff. So, now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let’s talk about some things that will likely make certain people uncomfortable or angry to read. I encourage you to read it anyways & if you disagree with anything I say, comment and let’s start a discussion.

Today was the March For Our Lives as most of you probably know. A time for citizens across demographics to come together to unite and take a stand to urge politicians to create gun control policies and reform those that have failed our country.

I am frustrated. Not because of the actions of the many, but because of the reactions of a few. People who continue to call survivors and activists “crybabies” “snowflakes”, and “uninformed children”. That last one really sticks with me. Let’s look at the Parkland shooting for an explanation of why that comment is not only toxic but flawed. We live in a country where these students, most of whom will be of voting age within a year or so, are expected to know what they want to do with their lives when they graduate high school, can buy their own guns/weapons, and can serve in our military, but yet are discredited as “whiny children” by those who fear their 2nd amendment might be at risk.

America as a individualistic society has a culture where autonomy is valued and seen as a strength, even amongst children and teenagers. To give the aforementioned things to the youth of our country and then deny them their voices seems a bit backwards to me. We want our kids to be strong and independent and well adjusted, but when they become too opinionated, too vocal or challenge the norm too much, we cast it off as teenage rebellion or revoke their “adulthood?” I think it’s something to consider, especially when they’re often stuck between the “oh kids these days don’t care about anything” and “these children are our future, they give me so much hope!”

Moving on. (This is likely where I’ll lose some of you, but if you’ve made it this far, keep reading please)

Gun control policies will not create all of the changes we need to see, but it is a good place to start.

These policies will not decrease the murders in communities where illegal weapons are used to take lives. Additionally as long as police officers are armed with guns, prejudice, and the backing of a series of institutions with racist practices, we will still see women, men, and children dying from senseless gun violence. And I know some of you are thinking “but not all cops are racist!” And you’re right, but they do all work as part of a system that is. Read this next part and let it sit with you.

Black Lives Matter.

And before you start with “all lives matter!” “Blue lives matter!” Please note that I am not negating that those things are true, it is just a nonnegotiable fact that African Americans are being persecuted and killed at a higher rate than really any other group in our country, either by police brutality, discriminatory practices and policies, or by mass incarceration. Let’s compare. Say I was out in my neighborhood and the police came looking in the neighborhood for someone allegedly smashing car windows. When they get near me, I run, and I run into my backyard. Are the police going to bust into the backyard to get me? Or would they knock on the front door? When they find me talking on my phone, would they “mistake it” for a crowbar, oh no wait, a gun, and shoot me 20 times? Nope.

If I were walking home through my neighborhood and had a hoodie on, would I get shot by my neighbor and then have people line up to buy the gun he killed me with on EBay? Or have my picture on the news be one that portrays me in a negative way? Nope.

If I were selling loose cigarettes in front of a bodega, would I be strangled and then have my last words of “I can’t breathe” be mocked by cops wearing shirts saying “I CAN breathe”?

If I was in the car with my girlfriend or boyfriend, with our kid in the back, and got pulled over for a minor thing, told the cop I was licensed to carry, showed him my license and said “I’m just reaching for my wallet, it’s in my back pocket” would I be shot multiple times as my GF/BF and my child screamed in horror? No I wouldn’t.

The truth is, if you are white, you walk away from these things. If you aren’t, every police encounter is a guessing game. That is only one of about a million reasons why we need to extend these reforms to include policies that dismantle the criminal justice system. Not reform, if we reform, the racist practices and policies will just evolve again, as they have done since the US prison system was developed.

So I’ll say it again, and I’ll continue to say it Black Lives Matter. I’ll also continue to show up, to use my voice, my privilege and whatever platform I have to be an effective ally. I owe it to those men, women, and children who have had their breath drained from their lungs by a bullet, to make use of every breath I take, and to make sure they are not forgotten.