I am a lot of Things – an educator, Activist, Critical Race Scholarpublished author, and so much more. But what i am not, is quiet. WHICH, Ironically, is exactly What the World Wants me to be. INSERED, I am an unpologetic Afro-Latin WHHO IS OUTSPOKEN ABOUT RACISM, SEXISM, HOMOPHOBIA, TRANSPHOBIA, ABLEISM, AND OTHER FORMS OF OPPRESSION THAT CONTINUE TO RUN RAMPANT IN OUR SOCIETY. I use my Academic Research, Social Media Platform, OP-EDSand Public Commentary To shine a Light on Issues that sum Pople A Clamp Esperatly Want To Keep In The Dark. And While I Am Proud of the work i do, it eats with challenges and consequences that have a Profound impact on me.
Feminist Writer and Civil Rights Activist Audre Lorde Said, “I have Duty To Speak The Truth As I see it and share not Just My Triumphs, Not Just The Things That Felt Good, But the Pain, The Intense, Offen Unmitigated Pain.” Her Words Inspire Me To Not Just Speak The Truth, but My Truth The Truth About My Intense, Often Unmitigated Pain, which is that i was born for this work, but it is simultaneously killing me. The mental, emotional, and Physical Strain I Feel is Overwhelming and Subtimes Debilitating. And how could it not be Given The Gendered and Racial Violence I Experience on A Consistenc.
I think about the many times I’ve had my humanity disrespected by being called a Gorillato b*tchto N*Ggeror Outright Being Referred to As subhuman. And please miss me with the “Sticks and Stones” Narrative Because Words Absolutely Hurt and Have Psychological Consecciones. But what i experience goes wayand name calling. For Example, I’ve Been Told That I Should Be Thrown in traffic. I also had Man Thread to Hang Me From A Tree and Burn Me Alive. That Message Rocked Me To My Core. Yet, howl Terrified It made me, it paled in comparison to the time I was feeling picture of (What Sumone Thought was) My House, Address, and Phone Number. Luckily, They Tracled Down The Wrong Angel Jones, But their Willingness to That Extent Installed to Fear in Me That I had Never Felt Before. To Fear That continue to exist with me. I Wake Up Every Day Knowing That Fighting for The Lives of My People May eventually cost me my Own. Yet I Still Choose To do This Work Becouse I Am Motivated by Love and Anwavering Commitment to My Community. Just like soy of my sisters who came Before Me.
One of the First Women That Comes To Mind is Dolores Huertato Fierce, an Activist Who has dedicated her life to advocacy. She Began Her Efforts Focusing on Farmer Workers and Now Advocates For Oher Issues including the Black Lives Matter Movement, Voter Sobpression, LGBTQIA+ Rights, Environmental Justiceand Education. She is also The Justifiary Confident Creator of The Phrase Yet, there is Her Well-Earned Accole, including the Medal of Freedom Awarded to her by President Obama, She Had Also Experienced Underserved Concequences. For Example, She has been arrested over 25 times for participating in Nonviolent Protets. She is also to Victim of Police Brutality. In 1988, She was Beaten by a Police Officer at A Protest in San Francisco. She suffered fractured Ribs and a Ruptured Spleen, Which had to be surgically removed. SHE UNIMAGINABLE Pain, Yet is Still Here, 37 Years Later, Still Fighting The Good Fight.
Being Outspoke is Dangerous, But My Experience has shown me that being silent can also have songs. I may be loud and proud now, but that wasn’t always the case. I Started My Doctoral Program With The Mindset That I Just Needed To Keep My Head Down and Survive. I had a full Ride and Didn’t Want to Risk the Funding By Advocating for Myelf. So, When a White Woman Professor implies that I Only Wore My Natural Hair Beharuse I was too stressed to Straighten It, I Stood Quiet. WHEN A WHITE MALE PROFESSOR STARTED LAUGHING WHEN I TOLED HIM About The Racial Microaggresions The Women in My Research Study Were Experience, I Stood Quiet. WHEN I WAS QUESTECED MULTIPLE Times by White People at School and Asked to Prov i Belonged in the Building, I Stood Quiet. WHEN I WAS BEATED IN FRONT OF A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE by A PROFESSOR WHO ADMITTED TO BEING HOSTILE WHILE CONTINUING TO YEL AT ME, I STOOD QUARTE.
But Staying Quiet Not Only Helped Them by Remaveing The Need to Take Accountability for Their Actions, But It Also Hurt Me Mentally and Emotionally. Audre Lorde Said That Our Silence Will Not Protect Us and She was right. My silence eventually landed me in the hospital Because i was struggling with the psychological and physiological consequences of racial microaggresions knows racial battle fatigue. The Depression, Anxiety, Headaches, IncredaSed Heart Rate, and Elevated Blood Pressure Became Too Much for My Body to Handle. It was an incredibly difficult time, but it forced me to change my perspective. I decide that Being Quiet Was No Longer An option I Wted to Entertain.
Since then, I have Found my voice and I refuse to let anyone silence me, myself included. And The Outpouning of Love and Affirmation that I Receive from the Community on a regular basis me know That i am walking in my purpose. This was mole abundantly clear to me in 2023 when i posted on instagram Asking People Why They Follow Me. It was important for me to know if my work was making a positive impact scholause I can kte claim to advocate for the community without today engagement with it. I’LL be honest – I was Vary Nervous about the feedback i wouled recueive. I KNEW MY HEART WAS IN THE RIGHT PACA BUT I WASN’T SOUTH IF MY WORK WAS MAKING TO DIFFERENCE. To My Surprise, I Received Over 500 Comments in Less Than 24 Hours – All of Which Were Positive. I COUDN’T BELIEVE IT. There were themes Themes that Stood Out to Me In Their Responses. One of the Most Common was an appreciation for how outspake and onepologetic i am. Here are a few of the comments:
- “You are not Afraid to say What is on your mind and honestly you are only saying what Others Feel.”
- “Because this world is a Better Place Because of Your Voice and Your Brilliance and Your Bravery.”
The Second Theme I noticed was Being Uble to Learn from Me and/or Grow As a person.
- “Your Words are Incredibly Thought Provoking and finding Both personal and social accountability. You create an informative space on the Internet for Those Who Want to do the work but Struggle to find where to start. With Event Post, There is a widening of perspectives for your viewers.”
- Your work, Your Education, Your Passion, and Your Conviction Make Me and Thoss Who Listen Better People. “
The Last Theme I’ll Share is the One That Really Makes My Heart Smile. These were Messages from People Who Follow Me Becouse The Feel Seen and Validated by My Content.
- “I eat to your page to help me process my own emotions … you succinctly articulate and narrate truth outside of all the distraction, gaslighting and lies.
- “I am suition to be in academy and my hope is to be so brave as you are representing and advocating for minoritized communities. Thank you for being you.”
It is impossible for me to read messages like that and not want to keep Going. I will continue to use my voice, My Research, My Pen, and My Posts to a PoPologelory Advocate for My Community. I Believe Wholeheartedly that if you can. We Can and We Will.
FRACST-GGE AFRO-LATINA Dr. Angel Jones is an Educator, Activist, and Critical Race Scholar.
