Hands Up, Don't Shoot.

The words that pierce through your ears when you go see the new theater production at Fresno State. After you finish this glorious, amazing, remarkable play - the words "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" will ring in your ears for days, nights, and weeks to come. The names of the unarmed black people that have died will ring in your ears for days, nights and weeks to come. You will remember this play for all of its glory, all of its remarkable remembrance and all of the amazement you witnessed whatever night you chose to go.

The comedy aspect adds light to what we are really feeling emotionally by this play. It doesn't take away from the emotion this play has. Testament by testament we learn about the lives of these unarmed black men and women in America. How it makes us feel as a black woman or man in America. How white privilege is an important, important, important thing to realize! Not only to realize, but to become aware about in this society. How black people ultimately have zero rights in this world, have zero safety, have zero anything. We are considered a zero for all intents and purposes to some people, our lives have no meaning - not to some police, anyway.

I don't know if it was just me or every other black person in that audience that Tuesday night that was feeling this production on an emotional level. But, when the cast started screaming out the names of the black unarmed human beings that died in the hands of an officer - or multiple - it hit hard. Hearing how many times these people were shot out-loud and hearing that in the voice of these black students is one thing. But, hearing "I can't breathe" over and over again, by this cast was another. That is what tore me apart.

I am a huge supporter of the movement (considering I have written countless articles about the movement here on the odyssey). I have seen the videos, I have heard the media, I have heard what everyone else had to say about this movement. But, hearing that I am not alone on my own campus is what really made me fucking happy.

What made me love this production was the fact that it was nitty and gritty. It swore. It screamed. It pretty much said, fuck the police. It said exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn't. I scream for countless days about how the killings of unarmed black men and woman is wrong. Treating a black human beings life as anything less than anyone's is wrong. I will scream it from the rooftops until something changes. But, it is nice to realize that people on campus are screaming it with me.

I am not alone.And the feeling of being black and alone is the worst feeling to be, so to no longer feel that is wonderful.

This production really showed everyone: Black, White, Mexican, Asian and everyone else what it means to black in this society. What it means to be black in white America. What it means to be light skinned, or dark skinned, or growing up with white parents as a black kid. No matter where your background is from if your skin color is black, so are you. And the police don't necessarily give special treatment no matter how light you are these days. The society is fucked. If you are black, essentially the society is saying - you. are. fucked.

And, to bring that to a college campus is perfect. We are the future of America. We, as black students, are the future of blackAmerica. Teaching everyone about how fucked up society is to us as human beings is the first step. Teaching people that there is a difference between black America and white America is the first step.

I know a ton of teachers who support the Black Lives Matter movement on campus. And, honestly, to see that my campus makes me feel like it is somewhere I can be safe at is wonderful. To see black people sticking together on my campus is wonderful. The fact that we have the ability to teach and have others learn about how fucked up the world is - makes me proud to go to State.

Please, go see this play and make what you will of it as you watch it. It is going to hit everyone differently. As a black student and a black human being, it hit me in a different way that it would hit my Mexican-American friend I went with. This is a really important play. A really important play for Fresno State.