First things first, I want to apologize.

I want to apologize for decades worth of hurt and discrimination just because of the skin color you are born with.

I want to apologize for all of the unnecessary violence thrown at your community.

I want to apologize.

I grew up hearing about violence towards the black community but not knowing much about it and the deep rooted hate behind it. Today, I consider myself a woman with strong opinions about a lot of subjects and a lot more insight than before.

I agree, enough is enough. Year after year, more and more people of color are susceptible to violence and murder due to the color of their skin.

We are all born the same way. We all are raised different, but at the end of the day, we are all equal. No matter how rich or how poor, no matter our nationality or career. We are equals. So why is it so hard to treat everyone equal? Why do we turn on the nightly news just to hear about countless hate crimes and deaths? No matter your sexuality, the home you live in or the color of your skin, you are enough, and we are equals.

It's hard for me to put into words exactly what I want to say about everything occurring right now, but that's okay. I understand that I will not fully understand.

I can jog in my neighborhood without worrying that the color of my skin will effect my safety. I can go into a gas station and purchase something without being concerned over my skin tone. I can exist, and because I am white, I won't experience the fear behind your eyes.

A few days ago, my city hosted a protest. I was a bit nervous that some of our small businesses would get destroyed, but for once, my city was capable of coming together and remaining peaceful and calm, yet effective for hours. No destruction. They did great. As I was looking through pictures of different signs I felt inspired, yet outraged at the same time.

Let's talk about Derek Chauvin. If I had to describe Chauvin in one word, it would be "monster". Chauvin is an officer who should've been fired after the first POC he murdered. Yes, first. I looked into Chauvin the night I watched the heart-wrenching videos of George Floyd's public, disgraceful death. Chauvin has quite the record of hate crimes and discrimination, and he is the perfect example of the type of people we 100% need to keep out of law enforcement. I'm not going to stay on the topic of him for long, however, for he doesn't even deserve the publicity.

My heart aches for your community, and I want you to know that while I don't have a huge following or a large voice, I am going to do my best, off the screen (because that's where it counts) to inspire diversity and love into those around me. My biggest wish is that everyone could come together and love one another. I know this is most likely never going to happen, but I have decided that it's better to remain positive in trying times than constantly see the negative. It helps the time go by quicker. Right now, we need the times to change, as quickly as possible.

I am a member of a White American sorority, and they recently released their statement towards the current events:

"In Alpha Omicron Pi, we stand for Inspiring Ambition in all we do. We cannot fulfill this ambition by staying silent. Silence is a privilege that does not acknowledge deep injustices against Black Americans that are a part of our nation's history and that continue today. We ask our members to stand with us in condemning acts of hatred, bigotry, and violence; speak out against racism and join us in educating ourselves on the issues at hand. The purpose of AOII is to carry into the world a spirit of love. Bigotry and hatred have no place in such a world."

So I leave you with this: I'm not black, but I hear you. I'm not black, but I see you. I'm not black, but I stand with you.

#BLM