This article contains opinions. This article is for the men and women who have been shown unequal treatment throughout the years. I promise you will not go unnoticed, and I feel as a writer, it is my duty to make sure your stories are told.
Said best by Martin Luther King Jr. himself, "I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word."
I am, in all of my glory, a white woman. I am also, in all of my glory, a pro-Black advocate. I am not one bit ashamed to explain to anyone as to why I am in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement; nor am I ashamed to be a WHITE WOMAN in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Some people have a hard time believing that, as a white woman, I could do such a thing. How extremely preposterous. As it goes, I have never really understood why racism is still such a big war. I was raised in a household where I was told to treat everyone the same, to not distinguish people based on the color of their skin. I see no difference in my eyes communicating with different races and ethnicity. I absolutely refuse to treat someone different because of the color of their skin.
In my city, my beloved Charleston, nine amazing people lost their lives due to an act of extreme racism. A minor traffic violation turned deadly for an incredible woman named Sandra Bland. A few days ago a man named Alton Sterling was murdered. I do understand he flashed a gun at a homeless man, but do you truly believe that a man with white skin color would have been shot multiple times while already being pinned down by the police? A few days later, a black man by the name of Philando Castille was shot by a police officer for reaching for his license. His girlfriend caught the act on camera.
With these awful events happening, to a specific race, do you still firmly believe that these situations do not have anything to do with race?
Being a pro-Black advocate has nothing to do with the color of my skin. I get asked constantly, "Why aren't you pro-white?" or "It isn't your race, you don't have to get involved." Now, let me say that it IS my duty, as an American, to make sure my voice is heard for the people who were silenced. For the men and women killed because of the color of their skin. If these people, who feel absolutely horrified to even step out of their house and cannot have their voice heard, then a White Woman, well aware of her privilege, will not hesitate to make sure they are heard.
I refuse to sit quietly anymore. I refuse to watch men and women be killed without justice.
