To the people who say slavery happened a long time ago.
To the people who say race doesn’t matter anymore.
To the people who say we’re all the same now.
To the people who say all you need is more education, more certifications, a longer commute, a little more hustle.
I have some questions.
How many hours a day do they commute? What box do they check when they check their race? Did any of their ancestors own people, claim them as property, build wealth off people who were never paid for the work?
And for the people who don’t look like the ones saying it, but say it anyway, what’s the reasoning there? Is the idea that a few more hours of work closes a wage gap that runs anywhere from 34% to nearly 80%, depending on where you look?
Sometimes it’s easier to lie to yourself than face what’s actually in front of you. Sometimes delusion looks like believing you can change something. Sometimes it looks like believing you can’t.
I left the United States. Not because I think everyone should, and not because I think Brazil is some kind of fix. It’s not.
Out here, the math doesn’t add up any cleaner. But at least nobody’s pretending the math was ever fair to begin with.
If you’re thinking about a move like this, the question isn’t whether the grass is greener. It’s whether you’re tired enough of the conversation in the room you’re standing in now to go build a different room entirely.