A Poem By: The Only Person of Color in an All White Psychedelic Organization

Shaking off white colonial ignorance.

It is a thing people with dark skin do daily.

Some more than others.

The darker your skin, the more ignorance wielded at you. 

Frustration builds.

We continue to push for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion for all — though these concepts rarely seem to penetrate.

Frustration builds.

It feels like those of us with dark skin hand hold those with white skin to mental clarity. 

Frustration builds. 

We push to get people to understand the gravity of the past and the ripple effects of destruction that continue to play out today due to white colonial violence: “That was in the past,” they say. “Talking about it creates separation,” they say. “Nobody wants to give up their position in society,” they say. “It’s not fair for us to just give handouts to people of color,” they say. “It’s not fair to just give land back,” they say. “They’re not qualified for this position,” they say, when discussing hiring a person of entheogenic generational knowledge over a white man or woman with a university credential new to the space. “We don’t get involved in “political” happenings,” they say, when racial conversations surface in the news. “You don’t count,” they say, when talking about racial issues and trying to make me feel included as one of them rather than seen as who I am — likely due to my American Cali girl accent.‘There are other priorities that must be addressed first,” they say...... 

Frustration builds.

Ignorance is bliss, so the saying goes, and Amerikkka lives by this. 

“All lives matter,” they say, clearly not understanding that for that statement to be true, black lives must matter in a tangible way — not simply a philosophical way. 

Frustration builds. 

“Critical race theory separates and traumatizes kids,” they say, as they only think of the white kids (however subconscious), neglecting to see that kids with dark skin are naturally traumatized by the history taught in the U.S. school systems because of its chosen blindness and white washing. 

Frustration builds. 

“Communities of color do this to themselves by selling drugs and creating violence amongst themselves,” they say, not taking into account any of the historical past that creates these issues in today’s present moment. 

Frustration builds.

At times it seems as if white ignorance will never go away. 

But…

We are magic. We can turn this frustration into power. Let us create the spaces for our strong, beautiful colored selves to love and live the lives that our ancestors so radically began. Let us believe in ourselves and in each other. Let us build for ourselves and our communities. We have all the wisdom and knowledge of our ancestors within us, ready to access whenever we want. In a world that constatnly puts us as second class citizens, WE ARE THE KEY TO THE COSMOS.

-Angela Christina Christy Ruiz

Photo By Coco Olakunle