OPEN THOUGHTS TO THOSE WHO DON'T CARE

I was told when the whole Kaepernick situation was going on, that what Kaepernick was doing was not only against the American Flag, it was against God. The young man that told me that was a proud southern white man. I couldn't even make it make sense how protesting police brutality is against God? Now with the George Floyd situation happening, it got me wondering, where we at now? Is what happened to George Floyd more God fearing? Will those cops have open access to Heaven for what they did?

I got to thinking about my family, and I wonder if other mixed people are feeling the same way. I see my black cousins speaking out and speaking up on what's going on. I know I'm not "all the way black" but I do own a mirror. I hear what I sound like. I realize that it could be me. I could be a hashtag. And with that being said, I found myself thinking about more of my white side of the family, mainly the ones I haven't met. If it was me, would you care then, or would I just be another dead nigga? What scares me is that I got some family members crying angry over George Floyd, and I got some family members who could care less.

You know what? I just want to say thank you to all of those who say, All Lives Matter, in response to Black Lives Matter. I want to say thank you to those who are silent. I want to say thank you for those who like to argue with my generation and not talk to our generation. I say thank you because now we know who really cares and who doesn't. Who really cares that it could've easily been me or my black family members to become a hashtag all because of the way we look.

Why do I say that when people say All Lives Matter they don't care? Cause I'm literally crying in your face and because you're not crying you're wondering why should I be crying? I'm telling you I got a headache, but you're saying because you don't have a headache, why should you care about mine? My pain matters too. Our pain matters. Not saying yours don't, but I'm screaming. Let me scream! Don't say you shouldn't scream cause I'm not screaming. Ask me why am I screaming? How can I help? Humanity. "All lives matter in the eyes of God." So, you're saying that God doesn't hear the cry of black people because he cares for all lives. So if a parent has a couple of kids and one of them are crying, this parent shouldn't hear the cry of that one due to having other kids.

Matthew 18:10-15 "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish."

There's an old hymn called That One Lost Sheep,

"The Shepherd went out to search for His sheep

And all thro' the night on the rocky steep

He sought till he found him

With love bands he bound him

And I was that one lost sheep"

Those who are silent. Silence is speaking loud right now. Silence is conforming. This is not the time for silence. If you're silent, I can't hear that you care. I can't hear if you hear my cry. I can't hear if you don't care.

Some people are looking to argue and not looking to have a conversation. That's why some people in my generation don't go to the older generation. We're tired of conversation that turn into arguments. We just want answers. We want direction. We want help. If they're not willing to help, do your own research.

"Good cop, good cop, where is your dignity?
Where's your empathy?
Where is your sympathy?
Bad cop, where's your humanity?
Good cop, is that just a fantasy?" ~ Good Cop Bad Cop, Ice Cube

"Tell me what has become of my rights
Am I invisible because you ignore me?
Your proclamation promised me free liberty, now
I'm tired of bein' the victim of shame
They're throwing me in a class with a bad name
I can't believe this is the land from which I came
You know I do really hate to say it
The government don't want to see
But if Roosevelt was livin'
He wouldn't let this be, no, no" ~ They Don't Care About Us, Michael Jackson

To all that are against black lives mattering, to all the white supremacist in my family, I want to say that I still love you. I'm praying for you. To my family, if we ever meet, I hope we can hug like family and not fight like enemies. Sadly I haven't met a lot of my family members on my Dad's side and regardless of the reason, and I don't even know if you'll ever read this. But I just want to say, I'm Daniel Richerson. I'm mixed. Not by choice. I'm family. If you don't want to accept that, that's ok. I'm still praying for you. I still love you even though you probably don't love me.

And to my family members who are down, who really cares, I see you. Respect. When we're allowed to BBQ again---

~Daniel Richerson