Black Lives Matter
I've refrained from posting earlier as I've been at a loss for words and unsure how to express the spinning thoughts and emotions in my head after the last month of senseless death and murder — from Orlando to the shootings and deaths of Alton Sterling, Philandro Castile, and Dallas police officers. But rather than look for the perfect words, I can no longer remain silent.
For those who believe that #BlackLivesMatter is about exclusion and believe that all lives matter is more just or fair, you miss the point of why #BlackLivesMatter is needed in the first place. All lives do matter, but right now, our country needs to focus on ensuring justice for black people because we've done such a poor job of it. This is why statistics around things like unemployment, poverty, incarceration, police shootings all disproportionally impact black people in our country.
What happens to black and brown people in our country is inexcusable. We must not only give voice that this is unacceptable in our country now, but continue to give voice until real change occurs. We must stand in solidarity — reforming policing tactics, changing our biased judicial system, and passing new gun legislation. We must do all of these all while working to confront our own inner biases whether explicit or implicit that plague all of us simply because we are human and live in a society that teaches us (incorrectly) that white, male, and heterosexual are better.
Are you with me? Are you willing to push yourself and our world to be better and more just for all?