We see you

In the most bizarre way, every "other" person I know personally or through media (social or otherwise) are having the same conversation. We're telling our stories simultaneously and they all sound like copy and pasted versions of the last episode of "People Cutting Up." We had all believed the lie they'd fed us for some time and ultimately struggle each day to reconcile the reality we know with the indoctrination that we didn't know was in full effect as we were conditioned in the educational system created by our oppressors. Well, we're awake now and we see you.

We notice that you speak of progress while dressing up your sentences with words like diversity and equity. Yet, we know that by diverse you mean some white-adjacent identifying as other because you can't seem to hire, train and retain those with a little too much melanin. Understand we talk to each other because we're trying to make sure we're not delusional because what you said in that email or that zoom call was wildin' but we're still trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Understand, we are awake now and we see you.

When you implement additional tools to track us but don't have a really means by which to hold leadership accountable, we're befuddled because we're trying to understand why we're filling out these extra forms, going to these extra meetings learning how to manage folks who choose not to manage themselves that you are actively enabling. Recognize, we are awake and we see you.

We didn't come to play games; no, we're here to level up, change the game and settle the score because we see the way you watch us, trying to figure out what makes us tick, taking notes on our trigger points, only to use your old tricks to trip us up. Listen, we see you and we are here for it.

#aubriaistalking

#scrappygirlproject