Today is blackout Tuesday; a show of solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement, in light of the recent events in the United States, and in the wake of the death of George Floyd- a black man suffocated to the point of death by a police officer, who now faces criminal charges.
Some people may claim that these riots and acts of destruction are a poor response. And, admittedly, as a white person, that was largely my initial thought. I've changed my thinking, though, and you should too.
This reaction isn't something random that appeared out of nowhere. It's been decades (centuries?) in the making. Things have just now reached a boiling point. That's not to say that I approve of the looting that's occurring, but clearly, peaceful protesting isn't the answer. People have tried that. People like Colin Kaepernick, who kneeled during the NFL national anthem and faced backlash, and ultimately lost his job. He's not the only example, not even close. But it's perhaps one of the most poignant examples of people facing backlash for confronting a long-standing problem, and for challenging the status quo.
I can't pretend for a single second to understand what it's like to be black, or a member of any other minority. I'll never experience what it's like to be black if the cops pull me over. And it doesn't stop with just African-American individuals either. First Nations people in Canada are subject to much the same treatment, and I'll never quite understand those set of circumstances either. I've come to realize through these past few days (thanks to numerous stories shared on social media and elsewhere on the Internet) that it's not enough to just share a post on Instagram. This is more than a hashtag, these are real people we're talking about. People with their own lives, their own families, their own hopes for the future.
I thought that as a white person, it was best to just keep my mouth closed. My reasoning was something along the lines of "I can't understand it, I can't change it, and Instagram alone won't do anything". I was wrong. It's important for me to understand the privilege I was born with and find ways to support those that face oppression, day in and day out. Like Desmond Tutu said, "if you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor".
The time for silence is over. As was quoted online, we "need to fight fear and hate with love and awareness". Not just today, or as long as the riots last, but every day moving forward.
Love conquers all.
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