I read a very disturbing article in the Chicago Sun Times website written by news reporter, Cindy Hernandez about residence who endured a recent raid at 1am early this week.

To the family, women, and children who endured this, I want to extend strength and solidarity.

What happened to you wasnt just a small incident that can soon be forgotten, it is a wound that reopens history, a reminder of the injustice many people live with daily. My heart aches knowing you were made to feel unsafe in your own homes when home is meant to be sanctuary.

I hold this close, because I, too, carry that weight through the people I care about. My sister in Dallas, my friends between Chicago and Los Angeles who all live with the same unease, never knowing when they might be next, when a drive to the store or a walk through the mall could turn into a moment of profiling, questioning, or humiliation.

They don’t want to see you thriving, living beautifully, or sitting pretty. And when you dare to turn those unlivable spaces into homes of dignity and pride, they will find a reason to disrupt your beauty, strip you of stability, and leave you destitute so they can uphold the narrative:

“Look at how they live. They are savages. Uncivilized. Uncouth.”

They do this to you. They teach their children to do the same. They hide it behind smiles, and “polite” nods. And when you read suspicion in those smiles or acts of “kindness“, they refuse to acknowledge that your reaction is rooted not in the moment alone, but in centuries of repetition, incidents their descendants deny yet continuously replay.

Some repeat it with aggression. Others through the law. Still others through the quiet assimilation of performative humanity, borrowing the language of Ubuntu while weaponizing systems that harm you yesterday, today, and tomorrow…

To the community in Chicago and the many to follow in this unfortunate experience, you are seen. May you recover from this and continue to stand tall despite those who try to strip away your dignity. May you feel the consideration and strength being sent to you from all corners.