Déjà Vu
By Krystena LuCastro · Originally published on Medium May 6, 2025
The dystopia already happened. It just didn’t happen to everyone.
When people reference The Handmaid’s Tale as a warning of what could happen to women in America, many Black women feel a different emotion — one that’s not rooted in hypothetical fear, but in generational memory.
Because for us, it already happened.
It happened on auction blocks and cotton fields.
In medical tables and sterilization clinics.
Through policies, systems, and silence.
What’s being warned about is not a coming storm — it’s an echo. A rerun. A haunting.
The Dystopia Already Lived
“The Handmaid’s Tale already happened. It just happened to Black women first.”
When people panic over dystopia arriving,
Black women sigh.
Because for us, it’s not the beginning.
It’s the recycling.
When civil liberties are threatened, we don’t tremble because it’s new.
We ache because it’s familiar.
It’s not fear of something being taken —
It’s the memory of what was already stolen.
Our wombs were once legal property.
Our children, auctioned off.
Our bodies, tested without consent.
Our choices, made for us.
And still —
We showed up.
For every march, every ballot, every revolution.
Fighting for rights we were never fully allowed to hold.
So no, this isn’t a glimpse of some terrifying future.
It’s déjà vu.
And we are exhausted from the reruns.
A Call to See Clearly
Before you cry “dystopia,” ask: Whose past are you just now waking up to?
Before you post warnings, ask: Who’s been living this reality all along?
Empathy without historical context is shallow. Solidarity without memory is performative.
We don’t need to imagine what could go wrong.
We need to remember what already did.
And finally, believe the people who never forgot.
Call to Action & Reflection
If this resonates, don’t just nod — act:
Reflect: Who do you center when you imagine oppression or loss of rights?
Read: Seek out the real histories of Black women in America — beyond what’s taught in schools.
Reframe: Stop treating dystopias as fiction when they are lived realities for many.
Resist: Use your voice, platform, and vote to fight policies that echo oppression already experienced.
Remember: Solidarity means listening to those who’ve been here before — and trusting what they know.
Ask yourself:
Who has lived the nightmare that others are only beginning to fear?
Whose voices have we ignored until their pain became a shared possibility?
What am I willing to unlearn so I can finally see clearly?
Read the published version on Medium