By Etu Evans
“Racism is America’s fragrance and mutilated dead black bodies are the trophy of the kill. Hung from trees as strange fruits to drown in blood while breathing.
Being born Black is the only birthmark that will get you killed for simply existing educated or not, straight or not, in power or not, driving or not, walking with skittles or not, shopping or not, minding your business or not, at home or not, hands over your head or not, talking on your phone or not, sleeping or not, children or not, vocal or not, selling CDs or not, masked or not, famous or not, political or not, criminal record or not, lawfully carrying a weapon or not, shopping or not, reading a book or not, partying or not, cashing a check or not, marching reciting the words of MLK or not, innocent or not. Death seems to be the only unthreatened hiding place for sun-kissed people.
Racism has always been Miss America’s answer to maintain control through voter suppression, population growth, economic dominance, land seizures, and suffocation of Africa’s promise. America stinks from wearing too much of a foul scent of hatred for way too long.
I surmise haters are merely false admirers. How much is a slave worth in the palindrome? How much is a black person worth dead or alive? Is it more than a can of pork and beans with two franks? Covid-19 is a problem, but racism has always been African-Americans’ greatest pandemic.
The irony is Miss America tans and injects her lips and buttocks to resemble the very group she supposedly despises. The truth is the sun could never burn out a lie. The original color of treachery will always reveal itself through the peel. The truth has always been skin deep.
I have heard Black Lives Matter, but I question are they honestly missed? I am emotionally bludgeoned at this point, and society is becoming desensitized to our pain, because we are hunted daily out of the sport, so it merely appears as a normal societal occurrence.”
#RIPAhmaudArbery
#TrayvonMartin
#SandraBland
#EmmetTill
#BothemJean
#AtatianaJefferson
#StephonClark
#JordanDavis
#PhilandroCastile
#SeanBell #MikeBrown
#AltonSterling
#CoreyJones
#SeanReed
Etu Evans is Harlem World Magazine’s Creative Director, Celebrity Shoe Designer and Style Correspondent in Harlem. His designs have adorned Beyoncé, Halle Berry, Solange Knowles, Michael B. Jordan and Queen Latifah just to name a few. His purple bottom shoes have been featured in several top international and domestic publications. Etu is a graduate of Columbia University, S.C. State University and the Fashion Institute of Technology. For more follow him at www.etuevans.com. Follow Etu Evans IG: @EtuEvans, E-Mail: Etuevans@gmail.com. Photos by Putwa Media.
Photo credit: 1-3) Disaster Series images, by Danny Tisdale.
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