My lessons in life blog this week is based on a strong message that was recently shared by Meyne Wyatt. It was an eye opener for me to hear the honest stories of someone raised in a country over 9,000 miles from where I lived and worked in San Francisco. The stories that he shared touched my heart and also brought tears to my eyes. Meyne Wyatt was born in 1989 and is an Australian actor from Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. He has appeared in several theatre productions around the country. For his performance in Silent Disco, Wyatt was named Best Newcomer at the 2011 Sydney Theatre Awards. In 2012, he played a supporting role in the musical comedy film The Sapphires and also made his debut with the Bell Shakespeare company. In other words, Wyatt is an amazing actor that Australia should be proud of, as well as the world. There always seems to be a but, somewhere along the line.
Meyne Wyatt made a presentation this month that broke my heart, but also lifted me to a higher place without even knowing it. Wyatt spoke the truth about his indigenous pain. Giving him my full attention, he shared some of the pain of growing up in Black skin. Most people don't understand that it doesn't matter what shade your skin is - people consider all of us the same inferior race, no matter what country we were born or living in today. My tears flowed from the horrors that young men and women are treated as harshly as my parents and grandparents were treated in the southern states of America. Everyone in the world knows that America is a country built on racism and thrives from it, maintaining efforts to keep people of colour as low to the ground as they can or keep the groups of colour fighting and killing each other with lies. The sad part is that communities of colour, especially in America have purchased and drunk the tainted kool-aid of hate to make them turn on other groups of coloured people without any logic or reason. The mind is a powerful thing to waste, explaining why it's so easy to brainwash and manipulate.
As I listened to Wyatt speak, he shared that he is angry and no longer sugar coating anything, anymore. He will no longer be quiet, humble or sitting down his entire life. In case some of you are not sure what sugar coating actually means, here is a definition. Sugar coating is making something sound better than it is. Often, people will make something superficially attractive or acceptable. Why not just tell the truth, wouldn't it be easier? Well Wyatt did. He gave a blistering and sharp speech that has been dubbed "The best two minutes of Australian television ever". Check out why Meyne Wyatt is no longer interested in sugar coating his indigenous pain.
As a Black man born and raised in a racist country filled with hate, I experienced the same pain on a daily basis. Many of you may have experienced the same types of discrimination too. Here are a few that have remained in my mind and body throughout my entire life.
Being that token Black friend to demonstrate that someone is not racist.
Hailing a taxi or cab in most cities in the world is a nightmare. Most drivers will slow down, but not stop, so they can look at your face to see the colour of your skin. They fear that Black people will rob them, steal their automobile or kill them. Apparently, that's what all Black people do.
Always, without fail, being followed around by a security guard when shopping for food, picking up a prescription, buying clothes in a department store, or just window shopping. Just a reminder, quite often the security guard doing the following is usually darker or blacker than I could ever be, but he has been well trained to do what he is told. Whites call it monkey see, monkey do.
Being used as an instrument in a box of diversity. This happens all the time in most companies. They like parading around new Black staff in meetings to show they are not racist or prejudice. It shows others how inclusive and equitable they are in their hiring practices.
Speaking of work environments, so many strong and intelligent Black women get labeled as being an angry Black woman if they raise their voice in a meeting to be heard or try to keep someone from hijacking their ideas, rewording them and taking credit for their ideas. When this happens, usually the white staff members get praised for a job well done. Then the rumours start to spread about the angry black woman and why no one should work with her.
When in a store or trying to order food, it's not surprising that the Black person may be ignored or skipped over. As a youngster I would wonder if I had the power to be invisible and not able to be seen. It's as if a Black person's money is not the same as a white person's money.
Upsetting to me that over many centuries, Blacks are still being murdered by police officers while they are in custody, handcuffed in the back patrol cars, killed while sleeping in their beds, murdered in front of their small children while holding their hands up or possibly kneeling and praying to God while putting pressure on George Floyd's neck and killing him. What's sad is that the white murderer always gets off or receives a lighter sentence because of the racist, white supremacist police chiefs, officers, judges and politicians. This needs to change and I fear there may be a big surprise if it doesn't change soon. One day, the monkey see, monkey do policy just make take effect when the so-called monkeys start committing murders like the white racist monkeys.
Many years ago, Black people created their own town since they weren't welcomed in most cities. In 1921, Tulsa, Oklahoma's Greenwood District, known as Black Wall Street, was one of the most prosperous African American communities in the United States. But on May 31 of that year, The Tulsa Tribune reported that a 19-year old black man, Dick Rowland, attempted to rape a white woman, Sarah Page, a 17 year old elevator operator. Just like life today, Whites in the area refused to wait for the investigative process to play out, sparking two days of unprecedented racial violence. Sounds familiar perhaps like the terrorist attacks on the U.S. Capitol Building in January 2021. Thirty-five city blocks went up in flames, 300 people died, and 800 were injured. The defence of white female virtue was the motivation for the collective racial violence. The same as today, the media release "fake news". Rowland never tried to rape Sarah Page. He was in her elevator on his way to a segregated bathroom and tripped on his way out. What would you normally do if you tripped and wanted to prevent falling down? We would all reach out for something to stop the fall, even if it meant reaching for someone's arm if it was there. A white store clerk, not in the elevator heard the scream and reported the incident as an assault or a rape. It was all a lie. Just like in 2021, who would be the one believed. If interested, please read more about the Black Wall Street Massacre. You may be surprised how very little has changed for Black people, obviously all over the world.
Many whites will say, "It's not my fault that I have white skin", and that's true. However, you must admit there are privileges and benefits that come with having white skin. Many authors have written about ways to be a true ally and help to open doors and paths for those that are struggling in this racial war on people across the globe. Many years ago I thought it would be helpful to teach racists about what we, people of colour were going through, but I soon learnt that it was only a game of pretend to play dumb and cry fake tears while stabbing their victim in the back. My biggest lesson in life that I learned is that it's a waste of time to teach people things that they already know, even when pretending and sugar coating their superficial words and stories.
To be completely honest, I usually ignore the shenanigans of racist white people trying to use micro-aggressions against others. I see it, I hear it but could really care less because I have always seen it on a daily basis. Sometimes I laugh at their stupidity and other times I just shake my head and move along so it doesn't ruin my great moment of joy. The scary part is when I am not in the mood and then they get to see the real little Black monster with the look of death. That's when the sugar coating flow from their lips, not to apologise for their bad behaviour but to try convincing you that it wasn't what they meant. It's like asking a coffee drinker if they would like fine sugar or a sugar cube after mistakenly giving them a sugar dish of salt.
Lessons in Life is a blog about my personal experiences growing up, living and working my entire life in Black skin. After so many years of pain and trauma caused from so much racism and hatred, I am finally crossing the line to finding self love, self joy and healing from racial healing thanks to many of my outstanding friends and colleagues. Wyatt shared, "Silence is violence," and he is correct.
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