During this devastating time in life, not only is the world experiencing a pandemic; America is facing a more tragic set of events; the loss of innocent lives. I usually am not one to speak publicly about my opinions involving events that once again shows that people out there, do not believe Black Lives Matter. Through the outrage of those speaking out about the horrendous death of George Floyd, as they should, has taught me that silence is not the answer. We must speak up no matter what ethnicity, race, religion, etc. we are. We must ignore the negative comments and hatred words that may come with expressing how you feel. We must come together to fight racism and the lack of justice within our country. We may be wearing masks because of this stupid virus but do not let that be your excuse to stay quiet. We can not live in fear of being discriminated for doing the right thing.

America has been through so much the last few months, especially black lives. We have lost too many individuals including Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. For what though? Exactly, there is no justifiable answer. There is absolutely no reason as to why we as a country have to keep losing black men and women because of the color of their skin. Children should not have to be taught to be more cautious when walking in public because of their beautiful color of their skin. Black teenage boys should not have to be defensive every time a police officer stops them because they were going 7 over the speed limit with a new license. They should be able to walk down the street just as freely as a white individual can. Their lives matter just as much as anyone else's and until America realizes that, "All Lives Matter" will NEVER be relevant.

Furthermore, many people get upset at the phrase of "Black Lives Matter" because they get offended; believing that individuals are saying that no other lives matter. When someone states, "Black Lives Matter" that does not mean everyone else is being disregarded. It simply means that Black Lives should matter too. Do their lives matter? Absolutely. But does America have a good way of showing it? Absolutely not. It is unfortunate that that phrase isn't as simple as it should be.

The way we fight this war is not to riot. Protest all you want, make your outrage known but in the proper fashion. The events that took place in Minneapolis were unnecessary and causes more chaos that is not needed. Those business did not deserve to be set on fire or stolen from. I understand that people want to be heard but this is not the way to go. March the streets, send in letters to whoever you feel needs to hear you, use your social media platforms to be heard but violence for violence will not solve the problem.

Martin Luther King Jr. protested, he wrote a letter, "The Letter from Birmingham Jail" to fight for his opinions and what he felt needed to be heard. Follow the path that Martin Luther King Jr. created for us to follow. As he once said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

Racism is very prevalent in America but what needs to be known is that racism is taught; therefore, more people need to teach love and kindness. If you grew up hating blacks because your grandfather had those views, does not mean that you have to teach your children the same.

I know it is easy to blame every cop because it seems like more and more cops are corrupt and racist. However, there are cops who want to fight this war with us. We cannot win this war without the good cops. The cops who want to fight need to be willing to speak up against their fellow officers who do wrong. Stop covering up racism and discriminating behavior. Stop condoning the behavior. Use the voice and position you were given for good.

Change will not happen behind silence. Fight with your words and your influence. Change is in your hands.

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." -MLK Jr

I chose my voice over silence.