When Enough Is Enough.
“The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth- African proverb”, tweeted @CharlesMBlow. Following the premeditated murder of George Floyd, citizens of Minniapolis and many other cities took to the streets to seek justice. This is not the first time an unarmed African American has been killed for no reason other than the color of their skin. In fact, the black community has also recently mourned the losses of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Sean Reed in Indianapolis, and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, all victims of hate crimes. “Coincidently”, none of these murders have seen justice and sadly, I doubt that they will. These protests are happening because black people are tired of begging for their lives to be considered valuable. For centuries, black lives have been disregarded; enough is enough. Racial injustice can no longer be swept under the rug.
In 2016, Colin Kaepernick decided he would kneel during the national anthem of every NFL game in protest against police brutality. Kaepernick was peaceful, but people still refused to listen to him. People misconstrued his protest, thinking he was disrespecting the military and the flag, even after he made his intentions clear. This same police brutality that Kaepernick protested against continues to happen and continues to be overlooked by the leader of our nation and some of our fellow citizens. Unfortunately, some people do not want to acknowledge the truth because living in a country built on lies benefits them. Some people think that there is a more peaceful way to get justice, but being peaceful has not been proven to work. What do you do when the people that are supposed to protect and serve are killing you instead?
America has never been united or equal. Racism is so deeply embedded into this country that some people would rather protest a pandemic than protest the lack of justice for the innocent killings of African Americans. These protests all around the country are passageways to creating better lives for future generations. Just as my ancestors fought for me, it would be inconsiderate if I did not do the same for my successors. BLACK LIVES MATTER every second of everyday, not because we make you money, but because we are people who deserve to be treated as such. We are tired people, who deserve much more than this country has given us. We are protesting because we want justice and change. We want to feel safe in our blackness; we deserve to be safe.
Photo credits:
Building on fire: @slate_mk.2
Kaepernick/King photo: @thatlaundry
Trump Tower photo: @mark.c
Report: Brionna Thompson
At the rise of Covid-19 many of us first questioned the timeline of fashion week and would we see the regular calendar continue - the question weighed over many of us for months! It was refreshing to see design houses and designers across the globe take advantage of the uncertainty and plow into production mode - thus my interest in Jerri Reid New York - The Black Designer based in Brooklyn New York wow’d instagram with his latest collection paying homage to the Black Is King film which debuted earlier this year in July. I was taken aback at quick of a turn round the young designer produced and released his well crafted designs reflecting some of the films most memorable moments.