Hey everyone, B.M. Gage here with the very first post for 2020.
Don’t worry, I’ll still be posting a short story with this post, but I want to ask, what’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word ‘awake‘? Do you think of the sun shining in the window, followed by stretching and yawning, or is it deeper than that?
When I think of awake, I more-so think of becoming aware of what’s going on around you… To awaken something is to stimulate it and to activate it, so that it does what it needs to do. It can be a person, technology, nature, etc.
For the short story, I’m going to post a small excerpt from “Roles Reversed”. So, remember, what do you think of when you hear the word ‘awake’?
***
“How does it feel knowing that justice has been served?” the reporter shouted.
Christian stopped in his tracks and looked at the reporter in her eyes.
“Justice?” he started. “When a police commander’s brother gives you hell while you’re on the inside, all because you all didn’t agree on policing, that’s not justice,” Christian spoke. “When you get tormented by those who have been sworn to serve and protect, that’s not justice.” A tear came to Christian’s eye.
Keisha put her hand on his chest.
“And when you’re a Black man, or woman, and the police stop, frisk, assault, arrest, and sometimes shoot and kill you for no other reason than you’re Black and they see black as a threat, that’s not justice,” he continued.
Christian sighed.
“Caucasian officers go day-by-day getting off on harassing Black people. And what happens to them? Administrative leave, suspension with pay, desk jobs; hell, some even get to go right back on duty because the law calls it justified,” Christian rolled his eyes slightly and saw Andrew standing at his side. “But here I am, a Black cop, and I shoot a White boy after it’s been proven that he had a firearm and pulled it on me. Immediately, I am stripped of everything I’ve done for this city goes down the drain,” he shook his head and held Keisha tighter.
“This isn’t justice. This is America.”
***
Roles Reversed (2019), B.M. Gage
*The excerpt has been modified for the blog of bmgage.com
