2020 has been a year of turmoil and unrest for America. COVID-19 completely changed the way we ran our society and led to unrest among the American people. When the economy collapsed due to the virus, people immediately began to protest for the reopening of society, strapping themselves with firearms and marching to government buildings demanding that they comply. One might think that protesting for the reopening of society despite the obvious poor conditions is asinine, but for the most part, that person will mind their business since it is clearly outlandish. This is a simple concept to understand in my opinion, so why are there some people actively trying to silence us black people in America for protesting against the murders of hundreds of our brothers and sisters by police across the country?
Every single day black men, women, and children are subject to racism. It is not always blatant, but it is there. Whether it’s the looks we get from others in public, the people who walk across the street, the way we are appreciated for “talking proper” or “being one of the good ones,” it is still racism. This racism is everywhere in our society, and has been plaguing us since the beginning of time. Slavery, Jim Crow laws, overpolicing in low income neighborhoods, regardless of what it is, there have been tactics in place for centuries that are designed to prevent people of color from truly being equal to white people.
As black people we feel as if we have dealt with this racism for far too long in a society that claims to be so supportive of us. They support our culture and the things that we stand for, but are quick to see us as nothing more than thugs or criminals when they encounter us in day to day life. This has been shown by the unlawful deaths of Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Philando Castille, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless others. You may think that the number of people you see listed on social media is small, but what you fail to realize is that these are all people who had lives. They had families that they love and care for just like you. They had hopes and dreams, people they loved and fought for. They had feelings of love, hate, sadness, anger, empathy, and everything in between. They had aspirations for the future that they can now never achieve because law enforcement saw it right that they play judge, jury, and executioner. This has to change. In no way do we as black people deserve to be slaughtered for the same crimes our white friends get a slap on the wrist for.
People across the world have seen the reality of the situation. Before our very eyes we are seeing how harshly police treat their communities. The police militarize their neighborhoods instead of properly serving and protecting, seeing people of color as nothing more than a threat. This is why we protest and riot. For years black people across the country have been fed up with the conditions we are forced to endure. Men like Martin Luther King Jr., Tupac Shakur, and plenty others spoke out against these conditions over 20 years ago, and the fact that barely anything has changed is very telling as to who we are as a society. Instead of allowing the racist ideas of the past to survive and continue to work their ways into the police force and the rest of our society, we must not only combat these ideas head on, but work to educate everyone around us so that we can truly put an end to racism.
The fight for equality does not end when people stop posting about it on social media. The fight for equality ends when we no longer have to be afraid to go to protests due to the fear of police killing us. The fight for equality ends when our kids are able to walk among each other freely without being judged. The fight for equality ends when everyone is educated on the history of our country and knows that racism is not only wrong, but unacceptable. The fight for equality ends only when we are truly equal.
It is my duty as a journalist to spread information and awareness on the situation at hand, and my duty as a black man to fight for true equality. I will never stop using my voice to fight for what I believe in, and I urge you to do the same. We live in an unprecedented time in history, one where we all have platforms to speak out against the racial injustices and brutalities that plague our society. I urge you to use your voice to fight for change. Even if you are risking ridicule from your peers or family members, that does not mean you should stop fighting for something that is so obviously fair and for the better.
Instead of staying silent because you may not personally experience these injustices, start to speak up. No person deserves less opportunity because of the color of their skin, the idea itself is rooted in ignorance and belligerence. We are the future of this nation, so let’s start acting like it.
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