When all hope seems lost

Has this world gone mad? After a catastrophic 2019 year for most, we all put our hopes in 2020, this year would be the savior: it would be OUR year to go to the next level. Well, I'll admit, 2020 is definitely a year that keeps on giving…. bad news. But is all hope really gone?

To be honest I don’t really have words today. I’m lost, I’m scared, I’m confused, just as much as I imagine you are, about what is to come, what to expect? I just long for a day when we could just live together, have people stop caring about our skin color or our origin, and start giving attention to what is in our hearts.

Do you believe racism is over?

No. Racism isn’t over. It never has been. We like to close our eyes and imagine that it is over (because we don’t experience it directly or regularly) but it’s still here and very strong. It can take many forms:

• It can seem casual yet very dirty between “friends” when one side is laughing and the other one clearly isn’t,
• It can be about discrimination when it comes to finding a job or a house or getting a loan, when your family name, your origin, your skin color can play against you,
• Or worse, it can the racism deeply rooted in the hearts of those in power. When living hate and ignorance are carrying a weapon or a badge, it leads it murder. Sadly, there is no other word to describe that.

All of these situations have gone for long enough, we can no longer turn a blind eye and choose ignorance in the face of reality. Not when ignorance leads to the end of the destruction of so many lives.

What to when all hope seems gone?

Yes, I agree with you: all lives matter, yours as well as any. But is it really the point of the debate? I mean is there really a fight to have about this subject? When a community that has faced so many deaths and so much hurtful ignorance from its leaders asks for some attention, please just shut up and listen. In fact, it’s not because you don’t have the same skin color that you are not concerned about. We are here to build a better and safer world for our children, remember?

People gathering for a cause they believe in.

As I said, I personally don’t have the answers, I’m just as lost and scared. But whenever I feel like that, there is usually one thing to do: educate myself.

Educate yourself

I was born a black man on a French island in the Caribbean called Martinique. Although I could never really know the insecurity, the fear of being black in the United States where racism is still at the deepest roots of the culture, I know a bit of the pain my community had to go through in history.

My ancestors were slaves, taken a thousand miles away from their birthplace to die, to suffer, to work so that the Western world could get richer. But they fought, relentlessly to end this cycle and to build a better world for their children. Yet, probably like you, today I live with some amount of privileges (being French, being free) and don’t take enough time to educate myself about their suffering, about their fights, their values, and their history. And that’s what I want to start doing more.

I love my history, I love my culture, I love my people, I love me.

If you, like me, are wondering what you can do RIGHT NOW to end the cycle of hate and racism not just in America but in the rest of the world, then we need to learn. We need to sit down and take the time to give attention, to understand, to feel. I know it is not enough, but here are a few resources I found, to this point, to help (including donations, sources, petitions, etc) :

• Anti-racism resources for white people - Google Docs
• Ways To Help

Give what you can

As I mentioned right before, I believe that no matter who you are, how old you are, or where you are you can help.

If you have money to give, find the right resources to do so, empower them, give them the leverage they need to effect change in this world.

If you don’t have money (and even if you do), you can still help in many other ways. The first one is by… (yes) Educating Yourself. Even if you think it doesn’t concern you because you don’t have the same skin color, it does concern you. The black community is not just those who have black skin, but those who strive every day to make this world more equal, more breathable, it’s the human community. And you are a part of it. So give attention and care, try to understand what history has put them through and that saying “Black Lives Matter” doesn’t mean that yours doesn’t as well.

Finally, if you have the power to do so, you can join them, join the associations, the communities, the people who are ready to give part of their time, energy, and expertise to make this world change. It might seem small but it’s how we can revolutions work. Step by step.

Lend a hand, keep loving, and hoping

Lastly, when all hope seems lost and you can’t see any light out of the tunnel, please just never lose hope and faith. Remember that however small your actions are, you bear in yourself the power to change the world. If not with your arms then with your mind. So, no matter what, keep hoping, keep praying and keep throwing love at all of those around you. Love will change this world.

Here is a beautiful website I discovered today that features the love and the beautiful actions during these riots : #WalkWithUs.

And well, because I think he had a point, I just want to share one of my favorite songs by Michael Jackson.

Please know that although I only mentioned this “issue” in this post, my heart is with all of those who suffer from hate, racism, discrimination, war around the world. I don’t do it enough yet, but I’m slowly educating myself. And whatever your fight is, just know that I stand with you 💛 My inbox is and always will stay open to you if you shall ever need to talk about it.

More resources on the subject

I’ll do my best to keep this section updated as I’ll find more resources, but if you’re looking to get more involved, you should check out :

• Ways To Help
• Anti-racism resources for white people

Let’s chat

What do this post and everything currently happening in the world inspire you? How do you think you could take action more?