"I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” --Martin Luther King, Jr.

The shootings that have occurred in the last month have rocked the nation with hatred and violence. We have watched while black men were murdered and police officers executed. As a 20-year-old, it makes me concerned about the world we live and the future.

I am heartbroken.

Though I didn’t personally experience these acts of violence I am grieving for the victims, their families and friends. Losing a loved one is never easy. Although I did not personally interact with them, they are still human beings. They are still my fellow Americans. I am grieving for living in a world with so much violence, hatred, poverty, and pain. Too many of my brothers and sisters battle with these afflictions on a daily basis and I am frustrated that there are not more people trying to defeat these problems.

I am afraid.

I am afraid for the safety in this society that seems to be more trigger-happy than peaceful. I am afraid for my fellow Americans, of all backgrounds. I am afraid for the next generation that will grow up where there is the promotion of violence rather than peace. I am afraid that our children will learn to use violence, racism, and crime before peace and tolerance. I am angry that nothing has changed. That it takes lives lost for America to start talking about issues such as gun violence and racism. I am frustrated that problems like poverty, lack of education, and ignorance still exist in cities throughout the United States.

Despite these concerns, I am hopeful.

I am hopeful that we can make our society better. Despite all of the horrible things that have occurred, I still believe that there are peace and justice. That one day peoples of all races and backgrounds will walk together side by side. A world where black men aren’t murdered and police officers are not assassinated. There is a lesson to be learned through all of this. We have work to do, but I am confident things can change.