Advice from your auntie
Dear girls,
Please advocate for other oppressed people.
For example, when other people of color, disabled people and Muslims are mistreated, please speak up. Why? The next person who is mistreated could be you, and you would want someone to stand up for you.
I love you for life.
Auntie
To the best nieces in the world,
Do you remember this?
I was on the phone talking with a Verizon representative who was driving me crazy.
I put the phone on mute and asked one of you – then 10 years old – to punch me to put me out of my misery. You kindly said, “I don’t want to.”
I asked your mom (my sister) to punch me to put me out of my misery. She kindly said, “Sorry…”
From across the room, the then-6 year old said, “I’ll do it.” And I said, “I know. That’s why I did not ask you.”
I was so weak! LOL!
Love,
Auntie
Dear girls,
Please read this story:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/toddler-s-mom-won-t-face-charges-fall-led-gorilla-n586571
Folks were outraged about a gorilla being killed to save a toddler’s life. Where is this outrage when unarmed Black men, woman and children are murdered? And the mother who was tending to another child when the toddler slipped away? She and her other children received death threats. Some folks said the child should have been allowed to get killed by the gorilla. Really?
This is what I know for sure. (1) Some Americans are mentally unstable. (2) Way too many people value the lives of animals over the lives of people. (3) When I saw the outrage and hatred on social media sites, I knew the mother was Black. A White woman would not have faced this level of outrage and hatred. Instead, she would have received much more sympathy. (4) Women with children are some of the most judgmental people in the world. They should know firsthand how difficult it is to keep an eye on multiple children at one time. Instead, they were the main ones calling for this woman to be arrested and yes, even killed. (5) I know a lot of parents, and many of them fall short in the parenthood category. Yet some of them are calling for a mother and her child to be killed because of an incident that could have happened to anyone. Again, really? (6) I have never wanted children or been pregnant. However, I have more compassion in my big toe than some parents have in their entire bodies.
This despicable behavior is NOT normal. Folks could have expressed sympathy for the toddler and the gorilla. Those feelings were not mutually exclusive. However, if folks could not muster any compassion for a toddler – someone’s child – then they are sick.
By the way, this message is for people of ALL races, Blacks, Whites, Smurfs, etc. As your grandma would say, “If the shoe fits, wear it. If it doesn’t, carry it.”
Remember this lesson for the future, sweet girls.
Love,
Auntie
Dear girls,
I made the mistake of telling one of you – when you were 6 years old – that another word for money is “booty.” You giggled, because your mom (my sister) does not allow you to say that word. You then turned to your mom and asked, in a sweet and innocent voice, “Mom, does booty grow on trees?” I laughed hysterically.
Can you guess which one of you said this? LOL!
Both of you give me joy. I love you.
Auntie
Dear beloved girls,
You are going to experience racism and racists in your life – unfortunately.
When you ask racists to do the right thing, that request typically falls on deaf ears, because they have no idea what doing the right thing means. However, when you hit racists in their pockets and get them fired, they understand the color green very well.
Never protect or feel sorry for racists. Instead, please use that energy to protect good people.
Love, Hugs and Kisses,
Auntie