WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

In the past few weeks George Floyd is the latest black person to become a hashtag. His traumatising murder was filmed by a bystander, nine whole minutes with a knee on his neck for an alleged counterfeit $20. “I can’t breathe” and “I want my momma” he cried out as his life was slowly being taken away from him.

There are actually no words that can properly explain how devastating it was to watch. Even more so when you begin to think of how afraid George must have been in his final moments. Furthermore, made worse knowing that this was far from the first and also far from the last. Anger, sadness, hopelessness truly in a cycle.

To my own shame, I’ve admittedly been sitting on this topic for a while. Debating whether I even want to begin to tackle it. In all honesty although I’ve never written about it before I’m drained. These are conversations that have been going on for my whole life, this is not something that is enjoyable to write about. However, for all the black people that suffer and don’t have the opportunity to write their feelings. My contribution to this conversation is the very least I can do.

SILENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

I’ve always felt conflicted on this but ultimately your silence does make you complicit. To be more specific, in the cases where you use your social media to push your agenda but have absolutely nothing to say now. Silence is fine if that’s your consistency. You can’t benefit from it when it suits you, especially when the need to show what side of history you are on is so much greater than us. It is a powerful tool but also can’t be where it stops. You may feel as though you can post once and feel like you’re done for the day…however, black people are just not afforded that luxury and have to live with it. Of course you have to live your life treating people equally, social media isn’t the beginning and end but it has a role especially when you utilise it when it suits you.

What can’t be ignored is the fact that within the UK there is this racist rhetoric that is clear to see if you look. Without giving specific people more publicity, when racists can not only become famous but idolised in this country you know there is a problem. You only have to ask about the black experience. We are telling you how we feel and are being treated. Wake up! There is a reason not only in the US, UK, the rest of Europe and beyond, that protests are happening in solidarity and unity because of a now incensed understanding and relatability. We are everywhere and we want to be heard! Enough is enough!

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO HELP?

READ! Knowledge is power and it is at your fingertips. How can you make an informed decision or truly know what black people go through based on an assumption? There is no excuse to be uneducated, this is years and years of oppression and that doesn’t end overnight and you can not truly learn and understand it in that time also.

In your circles. In your family. Speak up! Speak up when you hear something that isn’t right. Many racist people feel powerful and justified to say the things they say, feel the way they do and act the way they act, because no one has ever told them otherwise. No one has ever stood up, stopped them and corrected them. You might think what you heard was a ‘harmless’ micro-aggression, it’s not and it never will be. Don’t ever think it’s a waste of time, your voice and the words you use are always powerful.

THE REACTION

You can sit and judge the reaction or you can try and understand what is the action that led to the reaction. So much criticism with no actual answers or hope to give them. This violence comes from hopelessness, from being beaten down constantly with no justice.

Hear me and hear me good. You using your platform criticising black people who live this every single day of their lives is outright stupid. You have no idea how these people struggle and the pain they suffer through, your message is irrelevant. You don’t have to understand the reaction, you only have to understand the pain. If there was a “right” way to get justice it would have happened by now. The narrative has always been spun against a protest. It was spun against Martin Luther King Jr, it was against Colin Kaepernick. You’re contributing to a narrative that is dismissive against the real issue once again.There is no right way because we’re still fighting the system worldwide.

But who is holding the police force to account? Who is holding the justice system to account? Think about why that is...and why people are beyond frustrated. This is not for something frivolous, a chance to get a haircut, sit on the beach, or to have a party. This is a fight for equality.

What also must be mentioned is the actual small minority that is. Despite being treated like second class citizens for so long the majority are protesting peacefully and are having violence used as a reaction against them. Where is the animosity for that? George, Breonna and Ahmaud are just the latest few names that don’t get to come home because they were black in America and now that we are here we can’t let that be in vain, it has to be the reason some change is finally made.

There is no such thing as a “few bad apples.” At the end of the day when they are supported by the heat of the system, that rot eventually begins to spread whether that is by commission or omission. You don’t get people to act like law abiding citizens by treating them violently.

A CONCLUSION BUT NOT THE END

This is a conclusion to my thoughts but by no means is it a conclusion to the broader conversation that is being had. In order to make real change we have to speak. When it is daunting. When it is tiring. When it is frightening. When it is uncomfortable. Comfort can come when we are treated equal.

Dave Chappelle said “If we told them what being black in America was, would they believe us?” The fact that I feel compelled to speak up gives you the answer. We have told you, we are telling you now. So why are you fighting us so hard?

Ultimately, live with intention. Hold people to the account of their words and make sure those very same words are supported by action.

To allies, just listen. Listen and your lives will be enlightened to an experience you’ve never faced before.

Don’t give up, the fight has been happening for hundreds of years and I know how tiring it is but we have to keep fighting for a better future. Otherwise why are we here?

LINKS TO RESOURCES

BLACK LIVES MATTERS CARRD CO https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

GEORGE FLOYD GO FUND ME https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=m_pd+share-sheet

CHANGE ORG

https://www.change.org/p/mayor-jacob-frey-justice-for-george-floyd-2?recruiter=322451821&utm_source=

TWEET FROM ‘FUTBOLMARCOS_’ WITH MORE LINKS

https://twitter.com/futbolmarcos_/status/1267793601091776513?s=21