What has violence ever accomplished? What has it ever created? No martyr's cause has ever been stilled by an assassin's bullet. No wrongs have ever been righted by riots and civil disorders. A sniper is only a coward, not a hero; and an uncontrolled or uncontrollable mob is only the voice of madness, not the voice of the people. – Robert Kennedy

In the midst of political despair, I understand the nature of protesting. Peaceful protests have been the backbone of this nation dating back to the 1960's. As Americans, we have certain unalienable rights that constitute us with a voice and a privilege to have that voice heard. And while I fully support the nature of peaceful protests, I cannot and will not stand behind violence, destruction and madness.

I couldn't stand behind my fellow UF students as they chanted, “F*** Michael Dewitz!” – a man who was found wearing a swastika around the University of Florida campus just last week. I couldn't stand with my fellow Americans as they burned the American flag, destroyed streets and cars in protest of the new President of the United States.

I can stand with love, peace and resistance. Resistance to a person, such as Michael Dewitz, who does not acknowledge the Holocaust as ever happening. I can stand with the phrase, “No more Nazis, never again!” I can stand with my fellow women at the Women’s March, peacefully protesting for what they believe. But anger and violence? That I will never stand for.

You don’t fight for peace with violence.

You don’t spread love by perpetuating hate. You don’t shove your voice down someone’s unbelieving throat in hopes of bettering them; instead, you educate them. You pray for them.

For me, it always comes back to the Lord. In Ezekiel 1:26, we see that there is a Man on the throne. This Man is ruling and reigning over the heavens and the earth. This Man has authority over everything and everyone. This man allowed Donald Trump to be president. This Man has a perfect plan. It is because I love the Lord and know how much He loves every single person who is suffering right now that I have compassion for those in strife. I understand what it's like to be oppressed. I know what it feels like to be angry, fed up and restricted. But despite it all, I know what it's like to have joy in the midst of sorrow. I’ve experienced the peace that surpasses every man’s understanding in the midst of anxiety. I have one within me who is above every injustice, above every person and above every single thing. In Him, I can overcome anything.

I grew up in Miami, Florida as an Afro-Latina. This just meant that I wasn’t Hispanic enough but I also wasn’t Black enough. I was the child of immigrant parents and didn’t learn English until I was in first grade. I never knew who I was or what I was supposed to be doing. I was an enigma. No one understood why I was black yet spoke perfect Spanish. No one understood why I “talked white.” My whole life I was treated differently. I’ve been spoken down to, I’ve received dirty looks and more. The extent of the racist remarks I’ve heard in my lifetime come from friends and strangers alike. This has been my entire existence for the past 21 years. I’m going to be completely honest -- I used to let it really get to me. I would cry in my room for hours. When I was little I would ask my mom why I had to be the only black girl in my class. Why couldn’t I just be "normal"? I never felt good enough and I was always looking for someone to blame.

Quickly, I realized something. I had a choice every day. A choice to disregard the ignorance of others and go about my day. Because if I paid attention to every dirty look, every time an employee followed me around in an expensive store or every time someone told me “you’re so pretty for a black girl” then I would be pissed off all the time. Because even if I went off on each and every one of those people, even if I punched them in the face or used ugly words to insult them, I would accomplish nothing. Someone who genuinely believes that they are better than me because of something as minuscule as the pigmentation of my skin will not respond to me treating their nastiness with more nastiness.

Violence wasn’t the answer then and it isn’t the answer now. The Lord is STILL on the throne. He works ALL things together for good and everything that is happening occurs under His sovereign hand. I stand with THAT. Stop the hate already, spread some love.