"... America must see that riots do not develop out of thin air. Certain conditions continue to exist in our society, which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots. But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the Negro poor has worsened over the last few years. It has failed to hear that the promises of FREEDOM and JUSTICE have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about JUSTICE, EQUALITY and HUMANITY. And so in a real sense, our nation's summers of riots are caused by our nation's winters of delay. And as long as America postpones JUSTICE, we stand in the position of having these recurrences of violence and riots over and over again. Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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I've been speaking out across my various social media accounts, as I believe it is important to be actively anti-racist. Silence is viewed as compliance, and I refuse to let those I care about feel unsupported and unheard. While I was trying to figure out the right statement to make regarding the protesting, rioting, and continued degradation and senseless killing of American POC, I realized that- as a white person- my *opinion* doesn't matter.
You know what does?
BLACK LIVES.
BLACK LIVES MATTER.
Don't come to me with that "all lives matter" nonsense; NO ONE is saying they don't. What we are saying is that Black lives are not treated as equal. We are demanding that to change.
Ahmaud Arbery was murdered for no reason other than the color of his skin. He was murdered, and it was filmed as though it was something to celebrate and remember fondly. Mr. Arbery's life was taken from him because a former cop viewed it as less than. For no reason other than the shade of Mr. Arbery's skin.
George Floyd's murderer, a police officer at the time, basically said that Mr. Floyd's life was worth less than $20 USD. TWENTY. DOLLARS. Mr. Floyd was killed over twenty freaking dollars!
Breonna Taylor, a first responder (EMT) aiding in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, was murdered by police in her own home in the middle of the night. A battalion of police officers broke into her and her boyfriend's home without identifying themselves and opened fire on the couple when her boyfriend tried to defend them both. Ms. Taylor was shot to death, being struck more than 8 times. She committed no crime.
Why are people rioting and protesting and 'making such a big deal of it'? Because a human life was deemed less than for the sole reason that they were Black. AGAIN. These are just three of the excessive numbers of recent examples of the racism American POC are still facing in our country today. They should not have to fear those whose JOB it is to protect all citizens. People are refusing to stand idly by while human beings are continually slaughtered because of their skin tone.
BLACK LIVES ARE WORTHY. They are worthy of respect. They are worthy of kindness. They are worthy of understanding. Treat them as such.
I am not Black, but I see you.
I am not Black, but I hear you.
I am not Black, but I stand with you.
I am not Black, but I mourn with you.
This is 2020, America- we MUST do better. WE MUST BE BETTER.
Revolution is not peaceful. Change is not comfortable.
**This is not open for discussion. It is only open for support and solidarity.