People Share the Stark Realities of Living as a Person of Color

I’m not sure why the world is the way it is.

That’s not true. I kind of do.

It’s because dismantling systems of power and oppression is hard. It takes a lot of work and dedication, and most people are too wrung out from the daily grind to care about anything else.

Lucky for all of us, there are people working hard every day to make sure that someday people of color will no longer be treated like criminals because of their race.

It can’t come soon enough, as these 12 people make so painfully clear.

1. Insensitive comments abound

It’s so deeply ingrained that people don’t even realize they’re being rude sometimes.

I'm south east Asian. My white friend's mom thought we eat pizza with chopsticks.

Image credit: Whisper

2. Sometimes they do know it’s rude

They just don’t care. As though their comfort is more important than yours.

I'm a British born Pakistani and had arrived in the USA at the aiport. A white guy who was with his family called over security and told him to search me because i was 'brown and probably one of those bin ladens' 😔

Image credit: Whisper

3. You are constantly the victim of assumptions

It sounds like an exhausting way to live.

I'm Native American and I got pulled over leaving the rez to go into town. The cop searched my truck for drugs when they pulled me over for a leaky exhaust. I've always been clean.

Image credit: Whisper

4. Authority figures don’t give you the benefit of the doubt

Expectations mean they hear what they expect to hear, see what they expect to see.

I'm Mexican and my one and only time I was ever pulled over I started to stutter and the cop demanded that I speak in English. 😂

Image credit: Whisper

5. You’re impacted by arbitrary rules

And you know they were put in place as veiled attempts to legitimize discrimination against you.

When a store won't let people with backpacks in but let's other types of bags in (diaper bags, beach bags, totes, large purses and strollers). Reason? 'Security'. 😡

Image credit: Whisper

6. People are afraid of you without provocation

And they’re not very good at hiding it.

I'm mixed with black and Indian. Coming from work a lady saw my dreads and tattoos and ran to her car and locked her door in a panic trying not to look directly in my eyes. I laughed cause I live in the same luxury apartments she does.

Image credit: Whisper

7. People take liberties with your body

As though they have the right.

I'm black and I have long natural hair and in high school this girl was inspecting my head to see if my hair was real and she said, 'sorry, since you're black, I thought it was weave.'

Image credit: Whisper

8. You get accused of kidnapping

Which is even more ridiculous when you look at actual kidnapping statistics around non-custodial family members.

I'm a nanny and whenever I go out in public with the toddler I look after, sometimes I get followed around or accused of kidnapping because she's white and I'm black.

Image credit: Whisper

9. It’s not unusual to experience trauma at a young age

It’s heartbreaking, but it’s not unusual.

My Hispanic dad was once randomly forced to get on the ground and was searched by police at 7-11 because they they thought he was a suspect of a car jacking.

Image credit: Whisper

10. Children are the worst, except when they’re not

The worst part is when they grow up into cruel adults.

I'm half Lebanese and a kid at school called me a 'Muslim terrorist.' I'm a Christian.

Image credit: Whisper

11. Sometimes, it’s like you’re invisible

But not the times when you wish that you were.

When me and my boyfriend walk into restaurants together they always begin to serve him first and tell me they'll be right with me. Is it that hard to believe we're together? Female, black.

Image credit: Whisper

12. It’s not a uniquely American experience

That’s… not exactly both good and bad. More like both real and sad.

Was doing the tourist thing with my boyfriend in London and he got stopped and searched. They were literally stopping every young black male coming out of the train station.

Image credit: Whisper

It’s so important to see what life is like for someone different from yourself.

I’m glad these people shared their experiences, and that I could share them with you.

Have you had similar experiences? Share your story in the comments.

The post People Share the Stark Realities of Living as a Person of Color appeared first on UberFacts.

A Black Mom Is Pregnant for the Fifth Time and She’s Not Here for the Haters

There are families all over TV who are celebrated for having a ton of kids. There are teenagers on cable television having two and three children before they’re old enough to drink. Religions push people into not using birth control with the argument that humans are meant to populate the (overpopulated) earth.

But listen, when black or brown people hit the town with their broods that include more than two or three littles, the judgment is quick and harsh.

They couldn’t possibly afford all of those children. They couldn’t possibly be a nuclear family? They must be a drain on society!

No.

And Leslie Lewis, a black mother of four and curator of the popular Instagram account @TheLewis_Show, just couldn’t keep quiet when people began to make snotty comments on her pregnancy announcement for their latest addition.

Leslie is married to her husband, Joe, and together they have two sons, two daughters, a scruffy dog, and one on. the way. They are ridiculously cute, usually in adorable, matching outfits (even the dog!), and she has a strong following – but the haters were ready to pounce on her post about #5 joining the crew.

“So, I don’t usually publicly address the Negative Nancys and Pouty Pauls that find it necessary to judge my life choices. BUT a number of ppl have been commenting and even having the nerve to send me DMs regarding my pregnancy… ‘I thought y’all was done?’ ‘How can y’all afford 5?’

Listen here! I am a married ADULT! I have one baby daddy (This post isn’t by any means intended to shame OR  offend anyone whose situation is different). I don’t appreciate getting messages about birth control and questions like ‘How did this happen?’ SEX…Sex is how it happened.”

Her post has grabbed 65,000 likes and tons of comments in support of her decision to speak up, more than a few of whom mentioned the divide between how large white families and large families of color are treated.

View this post on Instagram

HAPPY MONDAY 🤸🏾🎉💛💙💛💙💛💙💛💙 I first off we want to send a huge Thank You! To all of you that responded to our Yahoo Article. We received so many positive responses and over 3k DM’s, I wish I could respond to all of you personally, but I just don’t have the capacity. Some of them were so touching and a lot of you mentioned, “It’s not about race”- and I’m realizing that some people truly believe that but, unfortunately, because of that pesky systemic racism and oppression in our society ITS ALWAYS ABOUT RACE. From the comments about the Duggar’s, John and Kate plus 8, and the Goslings etc… it had us thinking. Reality TV, these networks and production companies would feed off the drama of a single parent household, or Joe being married to 4 different women ( but he lightweight is with all these hair changes and mood swings 🤔) and had a bad past. Y’all want me to be fighting on TV so bad, but as a family we refuse to be portrayed in that light. Sell our soul to the devil for a contract. No ma’am or sir. We don’t want to be on TV that bad. We believe the right doors will open at the right time and you all will tune in to the love and light we will continue to portray! BRING BACK The images of BLACK FAMILIES ✊🏽🗣 that was me yelling out loud my thoughts while typing this caption.. as I scrolled through our pics I realized, we are what ppl want to see but it’s too strong of an image to see on TV. We don’t have any real drama going on, damn it! Me:Joe let’s make some shit up to give the ppl what they want! Joe: F*** that! Me: My N!€€@ ✊🏽 #TheLewisFamily #marriedwithchildren #Sf #Influencers #Real #BlackLove #TheCoordiNatedFamily #OldNavy #Blue #Yellow #HelloMonday #FashionFamily

A post shared by The Lewis Family™ (@thelewis_show) on

“Tell ’em sis! The Duggars captured 2.3M viewers. Now when brown and black families have large families, folks and their microaggressions assume we are exploiting the system,” said one person.

“This is definitely a ppl of color issue. No one questions white women when they have large families, hell it’s encouraged but ppl are always policing our brown bodies,” agreed another.

When Leslie spoke with Yahoo Lifestyle, she said that one woman’s comment in particular encouraged her to speak up.

“The last straw was when another woman felt the need to send me really hurtful messages assuming I must be on welfare and how I should be on birth control, etc.”

Leslie would like to use her platform and her influence to help normalize the idea that people of color, and working-class families across the board, are allowed to – and always have had – larger families.

“I have learned to use my platform to uplift families and women of color, and to use the criticism as fuel to meet and exceed my personal and family goals! Maybe one day we will get a reality show since there’s no families of color with multiple kids on TV that people can relate to.”

View this post on Instagram

“We see pictures, we say goals, Bish I’m who they trying to be! – ~Cardi!”(who else started head- boppin?! Lol 😂) Real Talk .. Modeling your life after someone else’s will never work, especially when it comes to your relationship. I believe it’s a huge mistake to compare your partner to anyone else, that’s right ladies, not your brother, father, uncle, best friend…ANYONE. You have no idea what your favorite couples have gone through behind closed doors, what pain and dark moments they had to endure. Even the most beautiful “perfect” couples have made countless sacrifices and compromises to ensure the success of their marriages. We have been together for almost 2 decades, no one can imagine what Joe and I have been through that got us to this point in our relationship and it’s not over! It’s like your favorite songs, you play over and over but never realize the amount of studio time it took to polish it up. Love is so much more than a word, it is a multi-layered commitment to another person, I like to use Live Over Various Events,L.O.V.E…see what i did there? LOL. It’s a shitload of time, giving, FORgiving, learning, growing and patience. Joe can attest to my resilience, my support, my love, my cries, my laughs and my crazy psycho Cancer moments that he’s gotten used to…mostly. I have learned to get through his ignoring moments, being less affectionate than what I’m used to, leaving all the water on the bathroom sink and all the clothes on the side of the bed 😫 Send Help! This shit just didn’t happen over night, we are not a ‘one hit wonder’. We are the real thing, and after 18 years, we are still learning, evolving, and loving US. Every couple has to find their own groove and this is ours. #AnsweredPrayers #MyFamily #MeetTheLewis’ #HappyMonday #Message #BlackLove #CoordinatedFamily #BabyBumpin #Pink #Burgundy #Mauve Photo: @acktionemmages 📸

A post shared by The Lewis Family™ (@thelewis_show) on

I don’t know about you, but I’d definitely be on board to watch these cuties (plus the little girl that’s coming soon!) run around being adorable and changing perceptions all over the world.

Do you think she was right to call out the haters? Why do you suppose people of color have to deal with more judgment surrounding a decision to have many kids? Let’s discuss in the comments!

Or, you know, we can also just talk about which of her family’s outfits are the best, but that road would be long and winding and never end, I fear!

The post A Black Mom Is Pregnant for the Fifth Time and She’s Not Here for the Haters appeared first on UberFacts.