Big prayer to everyone fighting for justice against police brutality here in New York City and around the nation. Black people have the right to feel safe in, thrive and breathe freely in a country they built for free. Too many soldiers have gone through the prison industrial complex, school to prison pipeline, or been abused by authorities. Too many children and families have been robbed of Fathers.
In the age of Aquarius, we all have the responsibility to stand against this historical injustice. As curious and confusing as the paradigm shift may look right now, things are shaking up and the truth is coming to light, whether snapped on a cell phone or tweeted to the masses, no crime against humanity will go unaccounted for.
No secret I’ve learned through loving Black men what a privilege it is to be white. And how hard it is unlearning privilege and practicing anti-racism. One time an ex and I were fighting at a bus station and as I cried cops started circling us. Which made me cry harder. I cry in public all the time, the only difference was the tall black man at my side. I have the privilege to walk through my own building without being perceived as a threat, or take out money on the street. And of course the privilege to not necessarily think about my race or my privilege.
But when you know it could be your baby frisked on the way home from school; or his father, or close friends, attacked or murdered just for being Black, you become part of a community united against injustices like police brutality, neo-slavery, and white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. Abuse of power amongst the government, police and military must be squashed. The economy that institutionalized racism was set up to foster is broken. The whole system is broken. The spirit of protest igniting our nation in this unprecedented times is evidence that our human hearts are intact, our spirits are open to possibility – to change – and we’re willing to speak up, speak out and stand our ground.
Katie Cercone *High Prieztezz Or Nah* is a visionary artist, scribe, prieztezz and spiritual gangsta hailing from the blessed coast. Cercone has performed or shown work in exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum, Bronx Museum, Dallas Contemporary, Momenta Art, C24 Gallery, Changjiang Museum China, Dodge Gallery and Aljira Center for Contemporary Art. Cercone is adjunct faculty at the School of Visual Arts where she teaches GENDER TROUBLE in the Visual & Critical Studies Department. Follow her on Instagram @0r__nah_spiriturlgangsta
Learn more at KatieCercone.com
