no one can deny that the general (collective) consensus about the black race has all and everything to do with drugs, 
poverty, theft, violence and crime.
It wasn’t until the magic of the Internet and social media that those with opinions of the black race got a chance to see (up close and personal) all the various talented, skillful, magnetic and majestic multi-faceted sides of us there was. This retarded the growth of stereotypes pressed upon us.
Unfortunately, having to deal with being forced to do away with preconceived notions and stereotypical views of a race is hard to do (for some many people). The denial and willingness to come to grips with that is making people go out kicking, screaming, pointing fingers and—petitioning.
It’s an odd thing: It feels comfortable for you and you feel right in arguing and resting on the negatives about the black race but when the race promotes (like Essence did Think Like a Man, Too–and every other magazine cover since its publishing date) or is protective of the race (like Jesse Williams’ BET Award speech), it’s “racist.”
Justin Timberlake’s spontaneous reply x Jesse Williams’ speech (that rumbled, rattled, and sent shockwaves like such) did so because, (like Justin tweeting “#so inspired”) we have become so conditioned and used to empty, “safe” rhetoric and jumping to claim “inspired” that, proof of its emptiness lies in what we often we claim to be so inspired by: Stuff that doesn’t challenge us and make us truly think, re-think or unlearn. Jesse’s speech called “being inspired” to the carpet and forced people to think. When you are (truly) “inspired” you are ignited, spirited, and on fire. It’s not something to just ‘say.’ It’s something that makes you move. People were moved. People were enlightened, people were force to think and well…people were on fire and too, on fire-both ways. He inspired.
So…what’s racist: uplifting or condemning? Make up your mind.
If you want to rest in branding a race with all that’s negative, then what’s wrong with that same race hand picking, or standing on a platform protecting, promoting, and uplifting it?
You negatively, positively have got to pick a side, people. You just do.
Having said all that, prepare yourself.
As more black people reject falling victim to a system and living lives they are branded and stereotyped as, you are going to see more of them working towards and doing great things in life (while the other side of life will continue to waddle in negative views of that they just don’t want to let go).
Because of the ways and the will to fight that, you are going to see positive images of black faces in the world of music/arts, technology, sports and beyond-being put on the covers of magazines like Essence-not because the others aren’t great, too, but because generations before theirs need to see that black lives do matter. And (like the point of Jesse’s speech): black lives are ‘matter’—rather than the animals they are stereotyped and disregarded as being.
You want to know what else matters to?
Choosing your battles wisely. Because like the oxymoronic Essence boycott and now petitioning to remove Jesse Williams from all places but Shondaland, people-using your brain matter-matters, too.
Video: Orange, New Jersey native, 6th grader Marley Dias creator of #1000BlackGirlBooks –set out on a quest to gather 1000 books with the black characters she just wasn’t finding in all the books she’d read through to 11 years of age.
