You must learn to join the dance

Watching Sam sob and fall into his father’s arms

I loved this episode for so many reasons but partly because when Sam came into the locker room and started talking about the racism in the UK (and the world pretty much) I didn't know what could help him because what he said was painfully true. But being able to cry in his dad's arms and his friends helping and showing their love by helping fix the restaurant seemed to help him even if it couldn't fix the whole problem

we put your girl of color in the fandom and they made her a big buff amazon mommy with a hair trigger temper. yeah she only exists to attend to the emotional needs of and/or step on a dainty white lady character now. sorry.

we put your girl of color in the fandom and they made her a completely oblivious ditzy moron who relies on her white partner to do everything up to tying her shoes and performing basic addition. sorry.

we put your girl of color in the fandom and they made her a bitchy “mean lesbian” so she doesn’t interfere with her love interest’s popular white guy x white guy ship. maybe if you’re real lucky she’ll cheerlead for them whilst tucked away in the background or something. yeah she doesn’t really exist outside of that. sorry.

we put your girl of color in the fandom and they made her the übersensible Sole Brain Cell Mom Friend. yeah she only exists to scoff at the antics of all these quirky white boys and attempt to herd them like cats now. pack their lunches and make sure they get to bed on time and maternally mother motherly down the stairs and all that. sorry.

we put your girl of color in the fandom and despite being a main character i guess they just kind of pretend she doesn’t exist? maybe she’ll be mentioned in passing once or twice. sorry.

With summer approaching I just wanna remind people that “Hawaiian” is not a summer party theme.

My people, my culture and our history are not your summer aesthetic. My heritage isn’t a theme or a costume.

Those parties with plastic lei and “sexy” hula costumes only add to the harmful ignorance and degrading stereotypes that surround my people.

We’re not sexual objects, we’re not an aesthetic, we’re not pineapple shaped party decorations or paper umbrellas in your drinks.

We’re human beings who deserve respect and acknowledgement. We’re a culture and a history that deserves honor and remembrance.

Casual and ignorant racism is still racism.

Racism is exhausting. It’s exhausting.

And inescapable.

I can’t watch tv without seeing my people ignored or whitewashed. I can’t read books about my people, because they are not written. I look at artwork of my people, it’s sexualized. I cannot see a movie featuring people who look like me, because they do not exist.

Sometimes, I feel forgotten. Like I am screaming in an endless void, waiting for an echo to scream back.

And I use up all my breath, all my energy, all my emotions to be heard. And I yell and I yell and I yell. And I demand people listen, and I demand people care and I demand a seat at the table.

And I am so tired of yelling.

But I will say this.

When I am too tired to stand, I am so honored to find people reaching out to help me up.

People who share my posts, people who amplify my voice, people who use their privilege or position to lift me up. People who work hard to understand. People who ask questions. People who fight racists on my behalf, and on the behalf of my people. People who yell when I cannot. People who genuinely care.

Racism is exhausting. And that is why we must stand together.

We hold each other up when we can’t stand anymore.

I am so tired. But I am not alone. And neither are you.