Fellow readers,
I don’t need to explain the current situation America is facing right now. We all know what is happening. I don’t feel comfortable not talking about a situation where humans are hunted down because of the pigmentation of their skin. It’s an inhuman act and it’s been going on for far too long but I don’t need to tell you that. What I can do is use my platform however small it may be, to encourage and perhaps inspire others to do the right thing, which is to be informed, vote and share the message.
I am white and non-American and I will never feel the same amount of loss, rage and pain that black people feel across the globe. That being said, I am furious and disgusted by the abuse black people experience just for living. Breonna Taylor was in her apartment. Ahmaud Arbery was out jogging. George Floyd was paying. I have done my best to stay informed by going on Twitter and not the edited news pages and videos. I have seen the horrible unedited videos of raw hatred and violence in the police system. As a white person I will not use my voice to suggest or question, I only want to amplify the voices of the protesters. I want to share and provide ways of how anyone can help and join in on this fight for a better world for black people. This footage in the video below is what you don’t see on the news. How police officers attack and abuse protesters. Destruction is coming from both sides.
Be Informed
If you plan to use your voice, please be informed. Go to Twitter and see the raw, unedited videos of police brutality, to sign the right petitions, to know what you’re getting into if you plan to protest. There are tweets telling you how to uncover undercover cops based on their armbands. There are tweets telling you who to call if you get arrested. You will never get this information from the news on television. So please go to Twitter, get a sense of what is really happening and then use your voice. Take in as much information about this situation as possible but most importantly, understand and emphatize. This video below will features a black man answering common questions from white people during all of this. If you are white and have any questions like “Why are the riots necessary?” or something along those lines, watch this video. Be informed.
These are a couple tweets I found which valuable information regarding protests.
Notice Your White Privilege
For the white people who won’t go on Twitter because it’s too depressing or won’t read any more similar stories to Breonna, Ahmaud and George’s, you are simply benefiting from white privilege. Black people can’t forget, they won’t forget. James Corden recently said something which I think perfectly encapsulates what I’m trying to say. “How can the black community dismantle a problem that they didn’t create?”
Mental Health for Black People
I cannot even imagine the impact this is having on the mental health of millions of black people in America and around the world. I follow and support black creators on social media and seeing their recent tweets about how they are suffering mentally, how much anxiety this is giving them, it genuinely broke my heart. To my black readers, I have a link for this exact problem, I’m not saying it’s going to fix it but I hope that by sharing this I helped ease a fragment of that tension.
How You Can Help
This site provides all the necessary information and ways you can help. It is continuously updated. Sign the petitions, it won’t take much of your time. Help the protesters bring justice. I won’t ask or force anyone to pay right now only because of the pandemic. I know that there are some people who can’t afford or literally can’t because of geographical restrictions. That being said, you can still sign petitions and there is a wonderful video which features black talent and by watching it with ads, you are not only supporting black talent but all of the revenue from the video will go to bailing protesters out.
This is the site,
https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
this is the video,
Lastly, VOTE
If we want a serious change, protesting and voting must go hand-in-hand. The POTUS is clearly not fit to be in his position. He is only a scared, bigoted racist who uses the police as his henchmen. He calls the COVID-19 protesters who want a hair-do “good people” but the protesters who want justice for all of the innocent souls lost “THUGS”. He encouraged violence against protesters when he said “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” He is even threatening to use the military against his own people, against his own country. If you are somehow supporting him, I implore you to rethink your position. I implore all of you to vote in November, to take him out of office, once and for all. Leaving him in office for another hellish four years is simply not a possibility America can risk. So please, use your power and voice this November to VOTE!
Finally I would love to remind everyone that while Breonna, Ahmaud and George are the most used examples of racism in America. let’s not forget that the hundreds of other people before them. This is not a trend, we need to stay true to this long after it stops being a trending topic. Also I just want to again, remind everyone that we are still in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, it is still not over so please be safe if you’re going to protest. I wish you all the best, let’s end this once and for all.
owen is a filmaholic 