Life During the Black Lives Matter Movement !
Hey, everyone, it hasn’t been that long since I last updated the community but how have you been? Has any of your states opened back up yet? In this moment actually I want to take some time out to pay respect to a black man who lost his life just because of the color of his skin. May your soul rest eternally George Floyd, we didn’t forget about you and we are fighting for you. This is the time to use your voice no matter how big or small it is to fight the injustice in our country. This incident isn’t something new, this the thing that all African American/Black parents fears the most. My people have been getting killed for generations and it always goes swept under the rug. George Floyd isn’t the only one, Amaud Arbery, Bothem Sean, Atatianle Jefferson, Jonathan Farrell, Renisha McBride, Stephon Clark, Jordan Edwards, Jordan Davis, Alton Sterling, Aiyana Jones, Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Sean Bell, and Sandra Bland. I was really reluctant to write a blog entry lately. There has been so much going around in my community, in D.C. specifically. In the end I decided that I had a responsibility to as a blogger, as a writer, as an entrepreneur, and as a leader in my community.
As you all know on May 25th, 2020, a video went viral around the world of the brutal death of George Floyd by the hands of four police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I haven’t even been able to sit through and watch the entire video. How can I ? How could I sit there and watch one of my brothers being killed for nine minutes? Police brutality isn’t something that is new in the black community, which is a phrase that shouldn’t hold truth. George Floyd wasn’t the only black person to lose their life because of the color of our skin; his death just was the match to light the flames within every black person in the community. The fact that this could happen in broad day light and every officer that was at the scene being complicate in the murder made our blood boil.
Since that day protest have sparked not only in Minneapolis but across the country in all 50 states, and the world. Canada, France, Brazil, Germany, and the list goes on and on. Along with the protest going on the government has seemed to responded more swiftly to the protestors than when the COVID-19 outbreak started. By day six of the protest curfews had been placed on at least 40 cities across the country. Not too long after that the military, national guard, the FBI and secret service had been deployed to multiple cities across the country including Washington, D.C. Police brutality against black people is a relevant issue in every country around the world. The black community in the United States was just the rock that was thrown into the water that caused the ripples of waves across the world. We the black community is fighting for our right to live across the world. We are fighting to be seen as human being and not pigs to be led to the slaughter. We will be seen and recognized, and the world is starting to listen.
In D.C. things have gotten very hectic, as you all know we have had consistent protest for over a week know. This is a fight that the entire city is fighting, whether you are on the front lines protesting or opening you homes when they are being surrounded and cornered in by the police, national guard, and secret service. Whether you are a volunteer passing out food and water, or a medic helping people when there is tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets being shot at peaceful protesters. Everyone in this city has come together to fight against the injustices that the black community is facing. The primaries voting day just passed and from the footage that was being circulated on the internet the lines to the voting booth were extremely long. The voting turn out in our community was amazing and I am so proud of each person in my community. Throughout the city all day you can hear sirens, helicopters, and then you would hear that occasional loud BOOM. Last night we had a terrible lightning storm, and the lightning had struck the earth 3 times last night. The earth is currently trying to tell us that a change is coming.
If you are not aware of the movement and what we are fighting for then I am sorry then you need to WAKE UP! Your silence on the issue now makes you compliant with the injustice that we face. There is no longer room for you to shrug off and turn away from the blatant racism that is being portrayed in your face. You need to raise your voice be vocal and be anti-racist. The contributions that the black community has continually given the world is astronomical. From the music industry, to the sports industry, education, science, medicine, math, art, so on and so forth. The pieces of artwork and replicas that you see in the museum are the ancient artifacts my people’s history.
It has seemed no matter what we have done that we were never even meant to be seen as humans but products to be used for labor. We are no longer being compliant in your plan to use and abuse us as you see fit. We will no longer stand by and watch you kill our brother’s and sister’s. We will no longer have to live in fear of the thought that we could be next. It could be our brother, sister, mother, father, grandmother, or grandfather. We will no longer have to fear the day that we have to sit down and talk with our children about how because our skin color is different will be judge solely on that fact no matter how good or smart of a person you are.
We are thankful to the leaders of the past that laid out the blueprint and showed us the way on how to fight for our rights. I cannot tell you how many times growing up in public school they would show “Our Friend, Martin” during black history month. That would be the only education I would get of my history until I got to college and took my courses of African American history at the illustrious Coppin State University which is indeed an HBCU. Some were blessed with the opportunity to learn about their history through the school system, and others went out and sought the knowledge on their own. Then there are those who do both, no one is saying one is better than the other my point is that we the people in the black community have the knowledge guidance from ancestors to help lead us in the movement.
I hope that you all stay safe and healthy during this time, because COVID-19 has not yet left, some are still in quarantine, while others start the reopening process. So, I hope you all stay safe, and if you are attending protest that you make sure you follow all safety protocols and prepare for anything. Everyone has a role to play in this movement, become informed and knowledgeable of the world around you and move forward. I will talk to you guys soon.
