There is no question. There is no debate. There is no wondering. Black Lives Matter encompasses all black lives, all walks of life, all black people no matter how they identify or who they love. There is a sentiment going around that you can somehow support Black Lives Matter but select which types of black lives deserve preservation, uplifting, and care. I just want to simply say, that is not true.
Revolution Is Never Clean
Rioting is what’s going on for sure, because the definition of riot according to Merriam Webster is, a violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd. However, the people inciting the riots aren’t necessarily the protestors and not every protest ends with a riot. Have you been seeing videos circulating of the way police have been treating protestors? Lest we not forget why these protests are happening. This started as a protest for George Floyd, and has evolved into a protest for all black lives. Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery are the most recent names that come up when talking about homicidal police, but there are so many more lives we are fighting for. The protests are happening because law enforcement has not been upholding its duty to protect its citizens. People in uniform have been using it as a cover to terrorize black communities and kill unarmed black people with impunity.
Sit Down, Stand Up For Kaepernick.
I had no idea who the hell Colin Kaepernick was until he decided to take a stand against this country’s brutal past/present by not standing for the national anthem and the fires of hell (mindless critiques all over the internet) rained down on him.
Honestly, the way people are spinning his stance has been by far one of the most mind-boggling, just straight ridiculous things I’ve ever seen.
Apparently, protesting the anthem for a country that has countlessly, without fail, disappointed, alienated, actively oppressed, willingly endangered, neglected, and exploited people of color is tantamount to, and this is in no particular order:
Selfishness
Shame
Disloyalty
Treason
Promoting Division
Violence
In my opinion, having the guts to stand up to a regime that has unapologetically silenced, ransacked, and belittled the hearts and minds of people of color is more a sign of:
Selflessness
Confidence
Patriotism
Humanity
Hope
Weariness (FED UP)
America is all about free speech and when it’s hate speech people are quick to use the First Amendment to protect their drivel, but when someone uses that very right to critique the government, all of a sudden it’s unacceptable. How can any sane person view what Kaepernick is doing as anything other than healthily, peacefully protesting the systemic disenfranchisement of people of color? He has said it, other people have said it, it’s been tweeted, it’s been blogged about, again, Kaepernick has confirmed, it is a protest. He is allowed to protest. Just like the KKK is free to march wherever they feel like it, Kaepernick is more than allowed to take a stand by sitting down. So you go ahead on Kaepernick!
One of my favorite comments of support for Kaepernick come from people in the military who applaud him for his actions. One soldier tweeted:
#VeteransForKaepernick because I didn’t volunteer to defend a country where police brutality is swept under the rug.
This country is always talking about fighting for freedom. Criticizing your government is a freedom that I’m exercising right now and even though I don’t consider myself patriotic, I am glad that my blog posts won’t get me thrown in jail and that we can protest the government without fear of imminent death (on the most part?). I used to stand up for the pledge, but didn’t say it in high school, because the thought of pledging allegiance to a nation that enslaved my ancestors and had yet to apologize or acknowledge its detrimental effects, just didn’t really sit right with me.
It’s people who don’t want to understand why this kind of protest is so important that are the people who need to educate themselves the most (BUT REFUSE), and because of this pompous one-sided view of the world, they will continue to interfere with progress and minimize the effectiveness of any kind of protest for equality. I sincerely don’t know how to get through to people who decline fact for sensationalism. Instead, all I can do is stare off in disbelief and hope something will penetrate that dense shield of ignorance.
Anyway, I see more athletes following suit in this protest and I am so excited about the support he is getting despite the haters.
In completely unrelated news, if you type in “team gif” in Google you will get a very many twerking gifs… #themoreyouknow
MLK Day: We Still Have A Dream
It’s MLK Day and as we reflect the progress that has been made since THE SIXTIES (this never fails to take my breath away), we are all still very aware of the adversity and atrocious inequality that still persists. Disparities that are wrapped up so flawlessly within our, not only judicial system, but in socio-economic environments as well. It’s hard to believe in destroying these seemingly infallible ideals when society is not given alternatives and being fought when trying to express willingness and desire for change.
I was talking about apathy with one of my friends over dinner the other day. We spoke of the currently passionate political landscape that’s flooded with people who want change and are fed up with these intolerable incidents that have been plaguing communities of color for CENTURIES (another staggering intake of breath after gasping for air).
Anyway, our discussion raised the biggest question of all. A question we ask ourselves everyday when we hear bigots on TV, read comments posted by vile simpletons with little understanding of historical events or lack even a modicum of empathy, or encounter stranger’s conversations so steeped in racism they’re too oblivious to notice. It’s a question I ask myself when I read the statistics about the ratio of men of color in jail vs. white men. It’s a question I’m sure you’ve asked yourself when the reality that police brutality is curiously very much affecting certain communities came to light. That question is, “What can we do?”
That question is broad and confusing and overwhelming when you think about it. This is why when posed, the answer is mostly, “I don’t know.” The thing is, you do know. We all know. It has to start somewhere. Let it start with you. I am by no means saying this is going to remedy all of the violence and harm done everyday by these systems put into place, but I’m saying it’s time to start feeling powerful again.
One of the greatest accomplishments of MLK was his ability to inspire confidence in not just the ideas he shared, but within the people he was sharing those ideas that enabled massive amounts of protests and inspiring perseverance. He made people feel like they could do anything. They could change the world. Well, we could change the world.
It’s not going to be an overnight process like in the movies when everything is wrapped up neatly in a resolution in an hour and a half, but it will be the happiest of endings when we can finally have faith that our systems are no longer riddled with racism.
Along with “being the change you want to see” there are nonprofit groups, meetups, or even organizing your own thing to garner interest to create your own group. Lest we never forget it’s one of our rights as American citizens to come together peacefully and denounce intolerance. These are just a few things we can do to really get hold on policies and see what hands-on moves we can make to really become “apart of the change you want to see.”
There’s also boycotting. My friend made such a valid point about how it seems we forget that once a shit ton of people stop buying stuff and using services that fund the government, etc. this hits “the machine” with such brute force there’s no other option but to listen to The People. This is probably the most effective, quick thing that can be done if enough people are able to do it and enough money is lost. However, this is acceptably troublesome depending on your situation, location, etc.
What I’m trying to say is MLK had a dream and we’re still here fighting for it, but we can never forget that we have so much more power than we’re led to believe and that the power of togetherness will truly be what turns this country around. MLK knew that, which many say is what led to his demise. He had a dream, and that dream is in each and every one of us.
