Interview with Achea Redd: Author and Mental Health Advocate
A couple of months ago I was scrolling through Facebook sometime after the 25th of May, the day that George Floyd died. Every now and again when I’m in the tempestuous war-zone that is Facebook, I manage to rediscover a page or person that I’ve liked or followed months or years ago somewhat obliviously and then forgotten about completely. I’m always pleasantly surprised when they emerge to the surface with something that reminds me why I followed them in the first place. This is pretty much what happened when I re-stumbled upon ‘Real Girls Fart’ an acronym for: Fearless, Authentic, Rescuer, Trailblazer (perhaps the best page name ever?).
Founded by Achea Redd: Author of ‘Be Free, Be You’, Blogger, Activist and Mental Health Advocate, “Real Girls Fart exists to empower and equip women with the necessary tools to use their voices and become their best, most authentic selves. RGF sets out to form a tribe—a safe space where women can come together via local events and online to celebrate their wins, cheer others on, and share moments of vulnerability.” After the outrage of George Floyd’s death, I found I was spending a lot of time on Facebook. A place that I usually find hazardous with unnecessary opinionated provocation or boring humble bragging that I tend to avoid. Unless, it’s for dog memes. Obvs. But over that week and a half after the 25th May 2020, it became my political nerve centre for people from all over to show solidarity, financial and emotional support, monologues and discussions on systemic racism itself - as well as a fair share of opposed far-right perspectives with sharpened, seemingly uninformed, and often outright racist views. A space where guerilla activists and protesters posted amateur videos, posts, petitions and photos of the protests and riot aftermath that ensued across the US that would have otherwise been filtered out from some of the biased News channels (Fox News, I’m talking to you). Antagonism, indignation and frustration spread out down on the streets as well as a beaming blue flare from my laptop screen that kept me up till late at night.
As I was scrolling through I saw a post titled ‘Dear White People’ posted by a page called ‘Real Girls Fart’. Unaware that I had even followed said page; intrigued, I clicked to watch
It took me to a fervent and dispirited video from Achea Redd herself, where she addresses viewers face on, in particular her white viewers, whilst warning us that the conversation we are about to have is going to be uncomfortable. ‘How did we get here? How did we get to this place?” She asks us in referral to the people who were more concerned with broken windows and other collateral damage from the riots that swept across the nation rather than the reason they were protesting in the first place. Her face and body aggrieved and tired. Tired of having to return to this moment, time and time again - but each time just with a different black person’s name. It’s plain to see, her recurrent and frequent frustrations at Black people being relentlessly ostracized by an unfair societal system that trickles down to the normal lives we live everyday. ‘What is a person to do? When they are unheard. And their silent cries, and their peaceful protests are met with disregard and disrespect. Where non-people of colour are concerned with broken windows and property - when 400 years ago we were seen as property. My ancestors were bought and sold and considered property”. Her fierce, eye-opening and urgently crucial monologue inspired me to get in touch. Achea, with whom I spoke to back and forth a few times, couldn’t have been sweeter or more appreciative of my getting in touch with the hope of a mini-interview on what it’s actually like living as a Black Woman in Trump’s America. I had to admit I was a little scared. Not for being rejected - that was more or less expected, but more that I was intimidated by the force of her post and the ground it stood on. That I thought I would be met with the same powerhouse of a woman from the video and be shooed away for my white ignorance - I was so scared of saying or doing the wrong thing. When actually she was more than happy to take the time to speak her truth and the daily tribulations of being people of colour in America. The pain is unimaginable to me. But her fierceness awakened something in me and was one of the reasons I got in touch with her to get the brief interview which she kindly accepted. But enough about me. Over to Achea.
What is the atmosphere over there at the moment, Over here, it's all over the news and social media - but what has it actually been like over there over the last few weeks?
A: Overall, its very much what you have seen. There is anger, sadness, and pain that has been looked over for years. This atmosphere didn’t get like this over just this one incident; its been happening time and time again. The majority of American people are tired of the corruption in the police department.
I read an article that said Amy Cooper is the kind of white woman that African American families warn their children about, is there some truth to that?
A: Yes, that is true. These types of situations with white women accusing black men of doing things is nothing new. It’s been happening for centuries. One of the more popular examples is the case of Emmett Till, a 14 year old black male who was accused of looking at a white woman incorrectly. He was dismembered terribly and the accusation was found to be a lie. It’s the fact that white privilege can be used to threaten the life of a black person, male or female.
I was deeply moved by your video that you posted a few days ago; it’s so informative as well - particularly when you referenced 'looting' as a symbolic representation of how 400 years ago black people were treated as property - and now people who are against the protests are complaining and upset over broken and destroyed property. Can you talk a bit more about that?
Well, I was speaking to the hypocrisy of this nation. We were considered as property by people who cared nothing about us and considered us as 3/5 of a person. We, as black people, were stolen from our native land and brought to a place where the land was also stolen to help build this country. While we were treated as property by our slave masters, they utterly destroyed us by lynching, burning, raping, and anything else you could think of. So how can you be concerned about a building or material goods being destroyed when you destroyed and abused an entire race of people? A lot of people were complaining about the looting yet failing to not see the ‘why’ behind it. This country was never ours as black people and black people are completely disenfranchised. These looters by no means should be doing it, but it is their way of dealing with their pain of living in lack. They seized the opportunity to be able to finally have whatever they wanted and “get back” at the system.
I've noticed with so many of these killings of black folk due to police brutality, is the blatant attempt at covering up - or even the lack thereof, as if they don't even need to worry about accountability because they know it's something they'll just get away with? In the case of Breonna Taylor, there're still officers that need to be charged. But it was also the same with Rodney King's verdict and with Ahmaud Arberry's killers. What are your thoughts on this?
The system is corrupted and yes, the police feel as if they don’t need to answer to anyone because in a lot of their minds they see black men and women as a threat or always up to no good. The entire system as we have known it needs to be overturned.
Do you remember the riots in the 90's? So many POC say this is history repeating itself over and over again - Does it feel as if we're getting nowhere as a modern society?
I do remember the riots in the 90’s and they were horrible. History does repeat itself but only because there is no follow through after the riots have simmered. In the past, I have thought that nothing will change, but for the first time I actually have so much hope that we can actually see change and an end to racism within our lifetime if we are willing to educate, strategize, and mobilize.
We live in a world where there's video EVIDENCE of a man being detained, and by no means carrying any threat, yet being murdered in the street. The authorities tell us that we cannot trust what we see with our own eyes, and that he wasn't murdered, which is similar to the outcome of the verdict for Rodney King. It must be so insulting, how does it make you feel when you're told that what you're seeing isn't the truth even though there's proof for everyone to see?
A: Well, again this is nothing new. I’m very used to this type of racial gaslighting. I hate that it continues to happen, but it’s going to take all of us for it to change. A week or two of protests aren't going to cut it. It’s a marathon and we have to see it to the finish line.
I feel like the White House turning off it's lights is majorly symbolic. How did you feel when you saw that?
A: I felt like the majority of Americans. We felt like our leader was turning a deaf ear to what we were saying. We felt like our leader didn’t care about us, nor the issues that we face. This particular administration has yet to take a good look at whats REAL.
Have there been any messages of hope or anything that could help us start a conversation of empathy?
A: For me, I have been really encouraging people to not only vote for a new president, but also other public officials looking at their character instead of their political agendas. We must continue holding the officials accountable after they have been elected. I’ve also been very careful to express the importance of not getting distracted with far-left or far-right political agendas, but rather staying focused on making a change. Lastly, education is key and knowledge is power. Educating yourself no matter what colour you are is definitely a MUST.
On a daily basis what are some of your fears and anxieties as an African American woman with an African American family in the modern USA?
Constantly living in a state of flight or fight is maddening and can be very overwhelming to your nervous system. I personally fear for my entire family as we are all black living in an America that is not completely safe for black people right now. Walking, riding bikes, minor traffic violation, wearing certain clothing that apparently makes us look like we pose a threat. It’s all so very anxiety producing. The fact that we are technically free, but in many ways are not.
Lastly, for people like me, people with white privilege, we must educate ourselves, we must listen, but we also need to act. We have to show up, use our voices, check people on their racist views. But I keep getting the feeling that we are not doing nearly enough. For people that want to help but don't necessarily know how, what can they do to help?
A: Just show up in whatever way you can and in whatever way presents itself to you on daily basis. We are not asking for perfection from white people, but rather humility and willingness to learn. Lead with curiosity, ask more questions, and make fewer assumptions. Those are really good ways to start.
I’m so glad I rediscovered ‘Real Girls Fart’ - which I’m sure I only followed because of the name way back when. But now I’m so grateful that I saw that video, because otherwise, had it not been so frankly and fiercely addressed, I don’t know if I would have been so affected. So I’m thankful to Achea who made me wake up a little bit sooner than I may have otherwise. For daily advice and tips on coping with mental health issues as well as some useful links and resources on check out Achea’s website: https://realgirlsfart.com/
Written by Molly Jones
Molly lives in London currently, although previously enjoyed life in Paris, and works in film and TV (vfx). She loves dogs and books, with the ambition of writing a published novel and TV show in the future.