MONITOR

Telling Us to ‘Tip Our Mask’ Is Racist

We are living in a world where Black people in masks are racially profiled, but Whites with guns are not

Danielle Moodie
ZORA
Published in
4 min readMay 5, 2020

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A black man poses for the photo wearing a dark hoodie, black face mask, beanie.
Man poses for a photo wearing a black hoodie, gray beanie and a black face mask on April 28, 2020 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. Photo: Jared Siskin/Getty Images

By now you have seen the images of heavily armed, angry White mobs storming government buildings around the country. Their overly dramatic handwritten signs are printed with sayings like “Give me liberty or give me death,” “Down with fascism,” and “Sacrifice the weak.” Despite the content of their messaging, what they are really protesting is their own health and wellness, while also flaunting their White privilege. Aside from the stupidity that involves leaving their homes decked out in American flags to protest an invisible virus that has killed tens of thousands in just two months, their brazen contempt for authority is infuriating. What’s becoming evident during this global pandemic are the stark differences between why different communities in this country protest and how each is treated by authorities.

When White people protest in the United States, they come armed as if they are extras in the movie Platoon. As of late, we have seen them dressed head to toe in what resembles military garb, complete with ammunition, AR-15s, and gas masks that obscure their entire faces. The goal here, it seems, is to not only intimidate but also showcase…

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ZORA
ZORA

Published in ZORA

A publication from Medium that centers the stories, poetry, essays and thoughts of women of color.

Danielle Moodie
Danielle Moodie

Written by Danielle Moodie

is the host of #WokeAF Daily & co-host of the podcast #democracyish. She covers all the news and happenings at the intersection of politics and pop culture.

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