Over the past few weeks, America has held discussions about my personal Black experience, dancing between their own definitions of right and wrong. Over the past few weeks I had to move from my home, change my cell phone number, and disable social media accounts. On March 28, 2016, a viral video was released that intentionally does not capture the full context of an encounter. While passing out flyers in Malcolm X plaza, I saw a white male approaching with dreads. Triggered, I unconsciously move my arm holding the flyer further. He does not approach me to receive a flyer and continues on to his destination. Attempting to react to what triggered me, I jokingly say in a quiet voice “Not with that hair” in the opposite direction of him. My intention was to collegially provoke thought within the man to critically think about his dreads and the racial implications it has as a non-Black person. During the entire incident including what was caught in the viral video, he never refers to the flyer, which he later would intentionally report to the police in order to create a “hate crime” narrative over the flyer. Rather, he then verbally assaults me. He called me a “Bitch.” As a black woman, verbal assault by men comes easily as women are dehumanized, objectified, and over-sexualized by them. I look for the man, going into the building, naturally, to confront him about the verbal slur, tired of being silent. Tired of being docile. I asked him “Did you call me a bitch?” He denied having called me a “Bitch.” He then asked me why I said that about his hair.
It goes on...but boils down to one thing:
De debbil white man dissed me, and ruined mah life.
So, there ya go.
She was TRIGGERED, baby!
No TRIGGERING allowed!
She’s a world class liar!