Why We Need Bereavement Allowances for Black People
One of the things I hated the most about working in corporate America — was being surrounded by people that seemed blissfully disconnected from the fundamentals of life in all its complexities.
Everything seemed so damn easy and fluid — even when the world outside the bubble was in flames — with the fiery poison that only a divided nation can supply.
Whenever there was the need to offload the burden from the day before — the only refuge was found in other employees of color who became instant allies and the comfort needed to make it through the remaining hours of mental Olympics.
So, here’s the thing. White cops will continue killing Black people until whenever. We can protest, engage in Twitter wars, unfriend friends, or simply pray every day with renewed gusto.
Nothing will change the fact that being Black in America sucks ass and has the potential to exact serious damage both emotionally and physically.
It also guarantees that at some point your life will be in danger and the law won’t protect you because you and your loved ones aren’t considered worthy of such a privilege.
It’s hard being Black.
It’s even harder when you realize that your disposition separates you from other races that never have to deal with the pain and disgust you carry around like a virus that has no cure.
You walk in and head to your cubicle and all eyes are shifted away to give you the space you need to grieve over yet another senseless slaying — that prompts you to wish you had taken the day off.
Since we are in agreement that in the streets of America — Black Lives Don’t Matter — the next step should be offering people of color paid days off to so we can properly assess and reprogram our temperaments before heading back to the system that funds our disability.
Gun violence is rampant and the renegades are law enforcement officers that are paid to schedule our demise.
Even our President who is a man of color and holds the most powerful position in the world can’t keep his own people safe from racist White men who have no desire or motives to save Black Lives.
This is Our reality.
It’s ugly and the only way to survive this potent climate is to be given the chance to survive.
People of color should be able to take a day or two of paid leave whenever tragedy strikes which is pretty much all the time but there are those times like the week when two Black men were gunned down a day apart from each other — when the stench of racial injustice is just to difficult to accommodate.
This is why we should be allowed the grace to be safely supported by the ones we want near us as opposed to co-workers who only add to the stress of the moment — through no fault of their own.
It’s just kind of whack to be a Black person in mourning — trying to function in an environment that isn’t mirroring your sorrow.
Some may find this suggestion ludicrous but what is even more insane is the fact that Black people are being terrorized and Black children are being tortured and nobody can do a damn thing to stop it.
It’s the American way.
If this is what we have to deal with — then we should be allowed days that give us the permission and privacy to deal with it.
It’s time to start implementing strategies in the workplace that help employees of color cope with the maddening chaos that has unfortunately continues to threaten our existence.
No Black person who works in an office that has predominantly White employees wants to return to work the day after a racially motivated killing.
And if they do — that’s their right but if they don’t — they shouldn’t have to feel compelled or pressured to do so.
Yes, we have sick days and designated days for personal shit but that’s not enough and shouldn’t be applicable to a national crisis.
Black people have more than earned the right to have extra days that should be used as a time to heal the mind and “get it right” — before venturing back to America.
The land of our discontent.
The country that was built by us with chains around our feet — still refuses to release those chains even when We can’t breathe.
On those days when we are out of breath with grief — we deserve our days of bereavement.
