My name is Jonique and I am 23 years old. I am currently working on obtaining a master’s degree in biomedical sciences with the intent of going to medical school. I am the daughter of two immigrant parents — my mother originating from Jamaica and my father from Cape Verde. I have been fortunate enough to have lived in Portugal while growing up at such a young age due to my mother being in the military. Being young and impressionable while living in a foreign country allowed me to be exposed to diversity and a wide array of different groups of people that I would have never gotten the opportunity to do while living in the suburbs of South Carolina. I was able to meet people from all different backgrounds and was encouraged to appreciate everyone’s individuality, despite having our own cultural differences. My parents always told my siblings and I to always treat others how we would want to be treated ourselves — with respect and kindness. I took those values to heart and made them my own with every person I met and every new opportunity I would take on. One such opportunity was the ability to try yoga. 

My Yoga Journey

My first exposure to yoga was when I was in high school. My mother had gotten a membership to our local YMCA and I had decided to take some of the yoga classes that were offered. One of the best things that I appreciate about yoga is that it is for everybody and every body. There was no sense of competition while in the studio — everyone moved at their own pace and within their own range of motion. You weren’t expected to be able to move like the instructor or the person next to you. There was no sense of inferiority while in practice. You were meant to appreciate the body you were given and appreciate those that were around you. Yoga offered a sense of escape, because while on my mat, there was nothing to worry about except controlling my breathing and flowing to the music. Through each flow, it allowed me to let go of problems that I was dealing with, and while in savasana, I had the chance to self-reflect and think more clearly about my problems and how to deal with them. Lately, I have been self-reflecting on my own personal experiences, as well as the Black Lives Matter Movement. 

Why the black lives matter movement matters to me, and why it should matter to you

The reason why I share my story and background with you is to discuss my own personal thoughts and feelings surrounding the racial injustices that have arisen due to the inhumane killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, and many more. America has been built on a history of racism against the Black community and I feel that more recently the deaths of George, Breonna, and Ahmaud have been the tipping points to really stop and unmask the systemic racism that has been boiling in America. I find it difficult to put into words how disheartening, angering and saddening it is to see the black community be such a heavy target for police brutality, especially coming from a family that has taught me the importance of respecting everyone around you. To have learned about all of the oppression African Americans have faced during times of slavery under foul tests for gynecology, the Civil Rights Movement, the inhumane medical experiments of the Tuskegee Study, the story of Henrietta Lacks, even up until now, where we see that nearly 23% of reported Covid-19 deaths in the US are African Americans.  To see that not much has changed in how Black people are treated is truly heartbreaking.

As a black woman who is interested in entering the medical field, I am constantly learning, as well as looking at events such as these through a medical lens as well as a humanistic lens. From a medical perspective, I do believe that physicians and police officers share the common goal of wanting to protect and serve their community; obviously police do so in a judicial manner, while physicians do so in a healthcare manner. However, I do feel that society is currently failing our Black community.

As of a 2018 Census, 21% of African Americans fell below the poverty line, compared to only 8% of non-Hispanic White Americans. There are a multitude of health implications that are associated with a person’s socioeconomic status. Poorer neighborhoods are likely to have higher rates of crime, poorly funded schools, and minimal access to healthy foods. African American women are 4x more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes when compared to White women. African Americans are 5x more likely to be incarcerated than a White American. The Black community as a whole is undervalued and underserved. We cannot continue to believe that there isn’t a racial problem and a public health crisis when the facts are right there in front of us.  

As a human being, it is absolutely heartbreaking to see someone die in such an unjust manner. It is heartbreaking to hear of a woman, who looks just like you, die in the comfort of her own home due to negligence on behalf of police officers. And let us not forget how her, Kenneth Walker, a registered gun owner, was thrown in jail for shooting at a police office, who he thought was an intruder in his own home. It is heartbreaking to see a man go for a run in a neighborhood where he isn’t from, and be profiled and inhumanely treated. How is someone expected to act rationally while being surrounded at gun point by officers who are acquitted by law if they shoot someone under the premise that they ‘feared for their life’? I understand that it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to not  have a bit of unconscious bias.

We are not perfect, myself included. Yet, I do believe it is possible to not act on our unconscious biases, especially racially incorrect biases. It is time that we learn to acknowledge correct information in order to eliminate these biases. These preconceived judgements are not only dangerous, they are harmful to the Black community. A colleague, and a friend of mine recently stated how sometimes he is worried to walk on the streets, being a 6’0, 200 lb black male, as he may be considered a threat to some people. His comment made me realized that I am not special.

Just because I have been fortunate enough to make it the past 23 years with only minor encounters of racist remarks, does not make me any different from the countless numbers of Black lives that have been taken from us too soon. I am still a Black woman when I walk outside. I am still a Black woman when I go to the store. And I will always be a Black woman. Whether or not that evokes positive or negative emotions within someone is not my decision or power to control. Regardless if I wear my hair straight, or in box braids, regardless of whether I am dressed professionally or in leisure wear, I am still a black woman that will be profiled and stereotyped. We cannot truly believe that ‘All Lives Matter’, when it is blatantly obvious that Black lives do not seem to be a part of the ‘All’. We cannot believe that ‘All Lives Matter’ when Black people are constantly worried for their own safety, and the safety of their family members. If you can say that ‘Blue Lives Matter’ but be uncomfortable with ‘Black Lives Matter’, what really bothers you is the word ‘Black’. 

I feel that there have been so many systemic issues that have been brought to light with the deaths of George, Breonna, Ahmaud, and so many others, besides police brutality. It would be ignorant to think that Black Lives Matter is simply a call to end police brutality and ignore all of the other systemic issues that the Black community faces daily. Systemic racism has been an issue that has been stewing for many years and people are fed up. While systemic racism is a monster of an issue to handle, that does not mean we should shy away from it. As a community, we must demand for change. We must come together and listen, educate ourselves and others, and get uncomfortable with our comfortability.

Resources: 

    1.    https://www.naacp.org/campaigns/we-are-done-dying/ 

    2.    https://www.join-real.com/group-support-series 

    3.    https://www.borislhensonfoundation.org/covid-19-free-virtual-therapy-application/ 

    4.    https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/07/how-to-get-free-mental-health-resources-for-stress-anxiety.html 

    5.    https://www.change.org/p/andy-beshear-justice-for-breonna-taylor

    6.    https://bailfunds.github.io/?fbclid=IwAR3v1NahLiQArLuqAgJy0GMwo_hLNL07LSxsEDtTVfvdInwbbLjCmZNgSFQ

    7.    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-0KC83vYfVQ-2freQveH43PWxuab2uWDEGolzrNoIks/edit