Rebecca A

Our value is not tied to our productivity, capitalism taught you that. It don’t matter if you have a criminal record, I can’t stand my dad, but that nigga deserve to live, with his real ass record.

Many Black folks are robbed of the opportunity to be “productive” citizens to society.

Many charges are trumped up for minor offenses, we became the incarceration Capitol of the world by being very active and intentional.

We live with the most racist education system, it is literally our most racist institution, feeding the school to prison pipeline with strong intention.

We live in areas where segregation is the norm, resources are gutted where we live, where our black bodies occupy space. How you think Ann Arbor been getting richer, while gutting Ypsi? Gentrification is real.

Black lives matter is a resounding call against the fabric of this nation, this nation thrives because black lives do NOT matter to these people and institutions. Remember that institutions are run by PEOPLE so the same people that we’re being told to feel like are human as blue lives matter, don’t see my Black ass as human enough to be cared for, to be given safety nets so we can eat, having drugs funneled into our communities by rich folks, I know poor folk ain’t got planes to be getting this shit here? I want to know how.

As a Survivor of multiple traumas, I know how hard it is to push through this pain daily. We are born into this nation knowing it does not want us to breathe. Period.

My black soul matters, so does my husband’s, my future kids, my tribe of nieces and nephews, my siblings as crazy as they can be. I’m done begging for my humanity to be seen. This country ain’t never loved me enough to put in that much damn effort.