These past few weeks, heck years have been tough for a lot of people. As we all sat in quarantine, on May 25, 2020, we were all forced to see the reality in America! We watched a police officer kill a man while he pleaded and begged for his life for more than 8 minutes before he drew his last breath. This is just one of many tragic stories that ended in a black man or woman dying in the hands of white police officers. There is a repeated pattern of black people being murdered by white people who were trained, swore an oath, and armed themselves for the sake of protection. There is also a repeated pattern of us black people moving on and not keeping the fight going, forgetting those whom we lost, and not working to make a change towards police brutality and systemic racism. It's easy for us to move on and get consumed by the things that evolve us, trust me I'm guilty of it. But we need to remember that we have a war wagging under us. We always find ourselves putting one foot in the door of social injustice towards black people and forgetting to put the other foot in. Well, fellow readers, I am here, along with many other voices to help hit stop on this alarm that has been sounding off for decades. We need to stop hitting the snooze button on these alarms of racism. When will you open your eyes and see that we will always be up in arms on racism, social injustice, inequality, and many struggles black American face? Many shy away from these topics because they don't want to “kill the vibe” or they don’t want to seem like too much of a “black lives matter supporter/activist”. Brothers, sisters, family members, and friends, I am talking to my fellow colored folks, in this current “let's all be woke'' stage, I am not afraid to say I am disappointed in a lot of you, I too am disappointed in myself. We as a community can do better, we can scream louder, and we can reach many minds, if only we could keep the conversation going, and educate those who don’t know better. Your Instagram or Twitter bio does not need to read in bold font “ BLACK LIVES MATTER”, you don't have to post and repost every black lives matter post you stumble upon. All I ask is we keep the conversation moving, put in place plans and motion to better our communities, end police brutality, and change the systemic racism that exists outside our doors. I know there are many out there who are keeping the conversation moving, but there isn't enough. We are too hung up on the click baits and other people's business, like the Shaderoom or Hollywood, unlocked. Instead, we should be busy asking ourselves, who our city council members are? Who is the governor of your state? How can I be a part of this or that? We need to start asking ourselves these very important questions. We have a very long road ahead of us. Don't get me wrong I am not discrediting the hard work many have done over time, we have come a long way from chains and shackles, not having CEO positions, sitting in the back of the bus, not being recognized for our talents and our inventions, segregation, and so much more. We as a community, as a whole have come a long way. But we always seem to find ourselves in a community divided or one step behind. A lot of people have lost sight of what their ancestors fought for & what we fight for now. This is why I press the importance of community unity. We as a whole, working hand in hand can make greater changes, if only we keep pressing and pushing for our greater good. It's going to be hard, there will be days the future we envision seems impossible, days when we will clash heads on disagreements. We must remember there is strength, knowledge, and power when we stand together as one. 

I believe one of the greatest things we fear is appearing vulnerable or terrified of looking stupid, emotional, or awkward unless poking fun at ourselves. When I post anything on social media or do anything out in public, I can't honestly say I am doing it without concern about how I  will be perceived. If that were the case, none of us would be doing half the things we do in the first place. We care! We care what other people are doing and we care about what they think. With that said, my heart is saturated with so many conflicting emotions over the brutal and repeated slaughtering of my people, that it's becoming difficult to stay level headed. And it's beyond disheartening to see how dismissive people are to human suffering. I've found that it's so easy for us to stay in our protective bubbles la-la-Laing through the mayhem outside. But this movement that is only brought up when a black life is lost has been ignored far too long. If you haven't watched the videos or read the stories of the brutality that has been inflicted on people of color, go watch it, go read the stories! - Terrence Crutcher, Philando Castile, Samuel DuBose, Walter L Scott, LaQuan McDonald, George Floyd, Brionna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray…… the list goes on-  It's not to terrorize ourselves, glorify violence, or fill our hearts and minds with negativity. It's so that we can proceed with full knowledge of the beast that exists beyond our front doors. It's so that we can be ready to protect ourselves and our families. It's so that we can put ourselves in front of the barrel of that gun, in the chokehold of that police officer, and in front of the faces of those who see us as less. But most importantly it’s so that we can prepare ourselves to fight when need be. It is so that we can keep throwing the wood to flames, keep the stories going, keep the emotions flaring, and keep the lives of those who died in the hands of those who are meant to protect us going.  Maybe this might seem less important to some white people or some people of color, but I certainly hope my white friends see scenes, most importantly I hope my black brothers and sisters open their eyes to the world we live in. If you watch the videos, read the stories, or hear about them and still feel unmoved, I seriously question your morality and your humanity. We don't all have to be bleeding hearts to acknowledge wrongdoing. Wrong is wrong. This pattern of brutal violence against my black brothers and sisters, perpetuated by the people in power is telling us that our lives don't matter! We are disposable in their eyes! And we are not on equal ground! How long can what seems like a cold war keeps going on. There are many different opinions, different sides, many are still angry and others want to wash their hands of “this”. We should all be united, come together and fight for our common interests, we should scream louder, work harder, and when those faces of racism, xenophobia, or chauvinism come around, we the people of color will be there,  ready with a united front. 

I know in my heart of hearts that God will make things right in his time!  But in the meantime, I am angry, sad, and frustrated with the system that we live in! Four hundred plus years we have been fighting a tremendous uphill battle against centuries of degradation, oppression, and segregation inflicted upon people of color, generation after generation by white people. We have to pump ourselves up just to keep our heads and hearts above waters and still have some semblance of self-esteem. Because every single outside source is telling us that we are worthless. It's a spirit-crushing. I feel like I've said a lot of nothing.... nothing new at least! So with all this said, my brothers and sisters of color we need to arm ourselves with the knowledge and the spirit to fight, to stand for our kind. If we don't, who will? So let’s keep that flame burning, who cares about the vibe, let’s talk about social injustice towards black people, let’s talk about police brutality, let’s talk about politics and how we can help shape it for the better of our communities. Let’s shout their names and never forget how the system dismissed their suffering.  Let us all get on one knee, fists high up in the air, let us all hold up those signs, screaming those chants of  “black lives matter”, let’s all keep the fight going, so one day our future generations will enjoy our victory and the hard work, that we black people fought for. 

United we must stand