Not OK.

I am not OK.

As a mother of two Black children, I think about our race and how we are perceived in the world on a daily basis. As the wife of a Black man, I think of it when he leaves the house. As one of a handful of Black doctors in our department, I think of it on a daily basis at work.

Weeks like these knock the wind out of you, because you know that you, and the people you love, have targets on their backs every single day.

You can’t “move to a different neighborhood” your way out of it. 

You can’t “dress or talk a certain way” your way out of it. 

You can’t “have a medical doctorate” your way out of it.

This pandemic has brought out the best and the worst in our country. For my people, it has brought the disproportionate loss of jobs, disproportionate loss of life, and further widens the chasm of resources that should be BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS.

If you are not BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color), we need you to step up. I’m tired of tearfully writing these damn captions.

We need you to fight too. Thank you to all of the call to action posts, the up standers, the acknowledgement of privilege and accountability. Love to see it, but your work is not done.

Please educate yourself on the history of race in our country. How racism has, and continues to infiltrate our society. How is it killing our mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters. #AhmaudArbery #BreonnaTaylor #GeorgeFloyd

The inhumane and disgusting murder of George Floyd is when racism screams in our faces, but every day, you can see its influences - it’s public education funding from property taxes, it’s hiring discrimination, it’s housing discrimination, it’s colorblindness, it’s white silence.

The palpable silence of the privileged in times of overt racism and racial crisis in our country, is deafening. I implore all of those who call me a friend, to not be silent.

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends” - MLK

Instagram accounts to follow if you are looking for ways to educate yourself and join the fight: 

@Rachel.Cargle
@ibramxk
@TheConsciousKid
@GoodGoodGoodCo
@Parentingispolitical

Stay at Home Month 3: May

Mother's Day, doggy birthday party, telemedicine, more outside time {including making the backyard my most favorite spot}, more video calls, more carryout, science experiments, last month of 1st and 5th grade distance learning, and more Johnson kids making the best out of this crazy time.