By safe I don’t just mean free from physical violence (although that is of course important) I mean safe to be themselves. No need to code switch, no worries about micro aggressions, not thinking that their gestures or tone may be misconstrued.
I was afraid. In fact, I questioned her and said I wasn’t sure it was the right thing to post (something I have never done before). She said “This is who you are, don’t be scared”
"Men are allowed to be angry as a performance of masculinity. White women are allowed to be angry as a clarion call. So black women should be encouraged to express their anger as well, particularly in the face of injustice."
Many of the posters of black squares were not people of colour, but they were those who wanted to make it clear that they saw us, they acknowledged racism and its impact, they saw their own role in perpetuating the lies of racism and they wanted us to know that they were our allies and we could count on them to be a voice.