My Blackness scares you enough, why add guns?
My blackness scares you enough, why do we need to add guns to the equation?
Recently, we debated House Bill 3094, the “Open Carry with Training Act,” in the South Carolina House of Representatives where I proudly serve and represent the fine people of District 80. After listening to testimony from my colleagues I felt compelled to share my story and my opinions on the bill. Even though this would be my first time at the well talking about a hot topic such as this, I knew the gravity of what my silence would mean to people who look like me. My opening line as I approached the microphone, addressed the elephant in the room:
“Do yall know I am 6’7, 285 pounds, Black and covered in tattoos?”
The room laughed and I chuckled along with them, then I proceeded to explain why that mattered.
“Yall, when I am not here with you dressed in my suit and tie, I am usually in sweats, a t-shirt and shorts or something like that and my tattoos are showing.”
And I went on to explain that there have been times when I enter an elevator and there is a petite white woman already on. As soon as all 6’7 285 pounds of my blackness enter this elevator, you can see this woman tense up and move further away from me. I take a quick glance at her as we are on the elevator ride and look at her hand and she clutches her purse.
People who know me, know that I am the biggest, sensitive, teddy bear figure you will ever meet. I will cry at the drop of a dime. I can’t watch those veteran returning home videos because I just fall into an uncontrollable snot-nosed cry. So seeing what my blackness does to another human being is heartbreaking to me. Is it my fault? No. Is it her fault? No. Is it the society that has taught us this? Yes. So what is the solution to this problem? Well, South Carolina Lawmakers seem to think that allowing people in situations like I just described, to openly carry their firearms in plain view will solve this issue. I beg to differ. Can you imagine what could have happened in an already tense environment by adding an openly viewable gun to my hip? Or to her hip? Or to both of us? What could have happened with one sudden movement in that elevator? I am glad neither of us had to find out but after this bill becomes law, we may soon discover what I have long thought about.
After I spoke at the well, I was met with words of encouragement from my esteemed colleagues black and white, Republican and Democrat. We embraced, shared words of love and respect. For a moment in time I felt heard and seen. I thought possibly that people who look like me would have a solution to this concern in the near future- that was, until the next day when I opened my state email and found this:
“Where do you get off, you incredibly presumptuous and RACIST son of a bitch? I suppose because she’s white, she must be terrified according to your statement. I really hope you won’t ignore this email. There are a lot more people in this state, who have been threatened by people with guns seeking to do them harm (like me) who simply want to enjoy their freedoms guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment in order to protect themselves. And before you and your liberal cronies begin citing slanted statistics by the media, consider this: if guns kill people then perhaps we should ban forks and spoons for the obesity problems in this country. Get real Representative Johnson. The people are awake. Maybe you need to wake up as well!”
I guess we still have a long way to go, but I am and will continue to advocate for all South Carolinians.
