I cannot be silent about an issue that affects me, my family, my friends, and my community.
Usually every Sunday, I post blogs about hair, fashion, and other things. I originally planned to post a hair post today, but I cannot think about promoting how to get beautiful curls with the state of the world today. We are all in a pandemic, we have all suffered from a sort of loss during this time. But no one is suffering more right now than the Black community. We are dying every day at the hands of police officers who claim they are supposed to keep us safe.
Police brutality and racism are not a thing of the past, it is current and in our faces but it is up to us to decide if we ignore it or not. With the most recent deaths including George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and many others, Black people are tired and we need our voices heard. I have witnessed many expressing negative attitudes against the protesting that has taken place, but a few weeks ago when people were protesting for hair cuts it was okay. I want people to realize that they can not sit back and watch this happening, people need to take action. It is frustrating to see people take a seat and attempt to ignore the problems at hand. Especially when it affects human beings!
As a young Black woman, I have found myself constantly watching people who look like me pass away and the murderers (police officers) continue life like normal. I have attended several protests and rallies to get my voice heard and it seems like no one ever listens. This constant struggle has created an anger in me that can only be reduced through change. I stand with every person right now who is angry and is helping foster that change.
I need everyone to do their part, if you are angry do something with that anger. If you are neutral you need to wake up and realize you are a part of the problem. There are many ways to show your support right now ( JUST posting and hash-tagging are not one of them) and if you don’t feel like looking for them, I’m including some in this post.
Like many people my age, I have been using Twitter to stay up to date, and see different ways I can do my part. I donated $20 to the Minnesota Freedom Fund and would love if people would match that or donate to other bail funds including the one in Detroit. I want to share some tweets and links that could be beneficial to help with the many protests happening everywhere. Please continue to wear your masks, be safe, and remember all lives cannot matter until Black lives matter.
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/beyond-the-hashtag-how-to-take-anti-racist-action
Teen Vogue article includes:
- resources to educate yourself
- links for donation
- general advice for how to get involved
Those are just a few resources, there is a lot of information if you click them. I am planning on continuously updating this post as I find more helpful information. If you think I missed something important please comment and share it with the community. Thank you for reading and be safe.
featured photo shot by @SMK2 and edited by @profnighthawk via Instagram
parisatavia.com 