#BlackLivesMatter

I knew people were racist but did so many people have to say that black lives matter to get the point across? Worldwide? Yes. I definitely do support #BlackLivesMatter but does this have to be so political and divisive? I have had quite a lot of time to think and learn because of the recent #BlackLivesMatter and the protests after the murder of George Floyd due to police brutality.

My Initial Thoughts

Amongst countless protests and voices from all over the world, it seems utterly stupid to doubt if these screams would even make a difference. The protests, including the riots and looters, whatever their true intention, would they make a difference? Maybe by shouting out their voices until their throats are raw and their bodies exhausted, they would find solace that they were ones who didn’t sit around and do nothing. They had given it their all. This is admirable, no doubt.

People are posting links to donations and petitions, pointing out racist remarks made in the past by the famous, arguing online, slamming opposition. I cannot, should not generalize, the intentions behind why one posts, says or acts the way they do. The same way why a person would choose to protest, go for the photo-op, or even just to one day say “yeah, I attended a protest”.

It fills me with sadness, the frustration of the people. Especially the black community. They are so unified in the past and continuing injustices.

When I started Really Thinking

A really close friend of mine texted me if I had heard about the protests. Now this friend and I do not often exchange opinions of the news. It usually starts with them saying “oh, did you hear about such-and-such” and then me replying in the affirmative and following up with a few words that summarized what I thought. This time my reply was that I didn’t know what to make of all of it. This friend vented their frustration like the rest of the world, pointing out the ignorance of the entire world, people not focusing on bigger issues like world hunger, and how they just want to kill people (i.e. are at each other’s throats all of the time). The world is still such a huge mess. People live in different parts and certain parts hide from others, the fault either laying within the system or people. I don’t know.

Concluding Thoughts

My friend and I are not directly from the black community. Nor have we faced the injustice that the black community has. We are both racial and religious minorities in our region, our country. However, there is a privilege in our culture and placement in the world. My knowledge of history is sorely lacking, but it seems that there is just so much more history behind the injustices of black people in America. They faced slavery, being treated like animals, and segregation. Even though this mindset is weakened from its peak, it is still present. Maybe this mindset is not present in the system, the government, the rules and regulations. Maybe it lives on in the hearts of people. Not only certain people in powerful positions but regular people in our communities are blind to their black neighbour’s perspective. Maybe not everybody realizes that when one says, posts, protests, #BlackLivesMatter it does not mean that a non-black is less than a black. Rather, it means that black is a colour that is not raised to its rightful place beside the other colours in the spectrum.

So, I asked myself realistically if the entire world has the potential to change. There are some horrible bigots in positions of power. Voices in a community that more people respect and people are likely to notice their words.

One of the things I learned from the protests is that they are increasingly covered in the media right now, seemingly all over the globe. Hopefully, (please make it so!) that just the awareness of issues surrounding the “hidden” racism is brought to the light. I hope that it illuminates the minds of people everywhere. Eventually, it has the potential to soften the heart as well.

Peace and love. #BlackLivesMatter