A few years ago, we took the kids to a Public Enemy concert before the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened. Click here to read that post.
In the article, I wrote this:
“My daughter raised her fist not just because Chuck D and Flavor Flav said so and the crowd complied. She did it because she studied Selma. She did it because she read about the lunch counter sit-ins. She did it because she saw images of Emmitt Till’s body. She did it because she stood where Dr. King fell. She raised her fist because she knows the story of Tommie Smith and John Carlos. She raised a fist because she knows the names Dontre Hamilton, Erik Garner, John Crawford, Michael Brown, Ezell Ford, Dante Parker, Tanisha Anderson, Akai Gurley, Tamir Rice, Rumain Brisbon, Jerame Reid, Eric Harris, Walter Scott, Freddie Gay, and Trayvon Martin. She raised her fist because the words “I can’t breathe” mean something. She did it because Black Lives Matter. She did it because she understands that while white privilege may mean one can get away with being silent, it does not mean one should.”
It is horrible that more names have been added to the list.
In the photos and videos that showed the murder of George Floyd, there is an officer standing next to the police car with his hands in his pockets. We cannot be like that officer and witness acts of prejudice and violence toward another human being and sit back and do nothing. We must get involved, speak up, VOTE in local elections, donate, protest; and as my daughter showed me, raise a fist. But don’t stand idly by and do nothing.
Here are other stories that might interest you:
Parenting, Protesting, and Educating: Hoping the World Will Be Able to Breathe
Visiting the National American Museum of History and Culture
Visiting Center for Civil and Human Rights