The Mental Meal: Made of Melanin in America

For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us - Romans 8:18

Readers, this post will be a deviation from the typical selections found on my blog's menu, but it is necessary. Remember, this is my outlet. This is the current make up of my mental meal, and the only words that I could truly express to you today.

So please. Do not allow this blog piece to be categorized as a work of prejudice, but rather a simple reflection of my personal perspective.

So with that being said...It is just all too much. The happenings in America, that is.

Once upon a time ago I was truly convinced that I was living in the land of the free. But as of lately, all I have been able to gather is that the only thing being let go free, in this country, is the justification of killings of the brown hued.

And like many others...I am tired.

I am tired of the agony, the tears, the fear, and the de-valuing of a race. It is just not right, and as a matter of fact, I would go as far as to say that police brutality is the epitome of being inhuman.

Yes, this post is meant to be brutally honest, and I understand that it maybe uncomfortable for some, but I must speak out. You must understand my pain. You must understand, our pain.

It goes without a doubt that I am unapologetically black. I love my melanin. I love my culture. And most of all, I love my people. But yet, with all this internal and external love being bestowed, I feel as though my self-love is constantly tested and tried...simply because America can not seem to love me and my brothas the way I do.

Why is that? Why is the majority, not the entirety of America trying to break us down, again? Well, we all know this is certainly not new. Unfortunately any African American history book, and current social media outlet will tell you, that we have been through this before. Time and time again.

This is truly a dish that just keeps getting deeper, and I am wondering how much more are we expected to digest, America?

You have changed our Sunday dinner conversations again. We must sit down with our innocent sons and daughters, and try explain to them that the color of our skin is still a threat. That our melanin, made in America, is just another meal devoured at the hands of law enforcement.

Although we are slain as if we are not, we are human, ya know. When you kill our sons we ache. When you kill our fathers we weep. When you kill our loved ones we are damaged. This is truly effecting our psyche, and it has done so for the past 300 years or so.

But as of today, the 7th of July, in the year of 2016 it remains incomprehensible the fact that I have watched two, video taped murders, of my beloved, at the hands of our injustice system. So tell me, am I supposed to be numb to this type of occurrence? I refuse, but I know the repetitiveness of such events have caused some of my people to do just that, become numb. And truthfully, I get it. How are we supposed to be hopeful at this point?

I can't necessarily come up with the answer to that, but what I do know is that by nature we are strong and resilient persons who must remain in this way.

We must continue to write, we must continue to petition, we must continue to march, and we must continue to move. This is the only sure way to change, and although it will be exhausting, brothas and sishtas we are to never be exhausted.

Though our reality reflects that times are hard, we must still dream as the late and great, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.We must keep hope alive. We must keep love alive, but we are not to fight fire with fuel.

This is not about invoking war between the black and blue, this is simply about instituting justice. This is about the hardships of being Made of Melanin in America. This is about demanding respect for our heritage, our people, and ultimately our importance to this nation that we have been forced to call home.

America, it is time. It is time to wash your dirty dishes. Enough has become enough.

This time signed,

A mad, black, but hopeful woman.