With every new day comes a new hashtag. When police began to target the black community and innocent people were being shot and killed for things like wearing a hoodie, a broken taillight, or missing a front license plate, a revolution was sparked and along came the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. It was created in hopes to create awareness about what was happening in the United States, the multiple murders of black individuals, was unacceptable and a direct violation of what it means to be an American.
People, of any race or religion, shouldn't be afraid to walk the streets at night, or have the constant threat of being killed for any slip up they have looming over their heads. What is even more shocking, is that individuals really believe that "racism" is a word made up by minority groups to target white people. While scrolling through the new trending hashtag, #WhiteSupremacyMeans I was utterly shocked to realize just how many people believe that it is justified for white individuals to be treated better than those of other races, or how many people, white individuals in particular, simply refuse to believe they have an advantage simply because of the color of their skin.
So, let me lay out some facts for you. It is a fact that Trayvon Martin was a 17 year old boy who was murdered by a neighborhood watch volunteer for "suspicious behavior" and was unarmed.
It is fact that Alton Sterling was being detained by two police officers while one of them thought it was necessary to shoot Sterling multiple times in the chest, killing him.
It is also a fact that Brock Turner was given a short sentence of six months for raping an unconscious woman.
And a fact that Dylann Roof, suspect of killing nine individuals in South Carolina, was rewarded Burger King by his arresting officers.
Five officers were killed in Dallas, Texas, and I understand the outrage, it is with good reason the people's blood is boiling and answers are being demanded from the public. However, it should be this way with every murder that the public becomes aware of, and even those that don't get national recognition. Except, this isn't what often happens. Instead, many (not all) white individuals deny the reality that there is a problem at all.
So, you can sit there and deny your privilege all you want, but the truth of the matter that is if you are white, you have less of a chance of being incarcerated, and a much lower chance of being murdered by those are supposed to be ensuring your safety. The United States is supposed to be a place of equality, somewhere where individuals can express their opinions and not be afraid, where everyone should be able to be confident in their rights and their government. The black community is facing a tragic time in American history, not the first. It is our-- every individual regardless of race-- to make sure that this unfair treatment comes to end immediately.
