The Pandemic That Brought Change

You hear us but you may not like it. The pandemic of 2020 has molded and shaped the year around the Black Lives Matter movement and focused the injustices against Black Lives to the mainstream media. People can no longer ignore the brutal murders and unequal treatment by the police. The protest from Minneapolis, Charlotte, Chicago and St. Louis along with many other cities have caught the attention of people world-wide. With many Americans out of work and having more time on their hands the protests have been larger than they ever were before. The George Floyd protests is the biggest protest in U.S. history having 15 million to 26 million Americans march for what is basic human rights. Activist have placed a responsibility on the American people for holding the police and government accountable. Change is walking through downtown Charlotte and seeing a mural of Black Lives Matter on the street, change is seeing Large Corporations stand behind what could easily be called a modern day Civil Rights Movement. In a survey taken by Maneesh Arora 65 percent of the people she surveyed admitted to having more free time since the pandemic started, 77 percent have been financially burdened by the pandemic and 81 percent have attended protests. This shows that even through the toughest time modern day America has seen, people still give their time and efforts to the most powerful and meaningful movement of todays time. Every day Black people are still fighting for what is rightfully theirs and although not everything is perfect this movement is building a foundation for well needed change.

news article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/08/05/how-coronavirus-pandemic-helped-floyd-protests-become-biggest-us-history/

Civil War & Reconstruction

WHAT IS EQUALITY?

On August 30, 2020 Jacob Blake was wrongfully shot seven times in the back by officer Rusten Sheskey. The shooting occurred in Kenosha,WI and was caught on video by a neighbor who quickly posted it on facebook. Unfortunately, in the past black men and women being murdered by the police wrongfully on camera became acceptable to the American people and the Judicial government. In recent events such as the murder of George Floyd, the brave and persistent protestors from all over the world stood for justice and protested with the Black Community showing not only the American people but the entire world that these atrocious incidents will no longer be accepted nor tolerated. Jacob Blake who is paralyzed from the waist down has spoken out on the injustice act that has changed his life forever. He broke his silence by stating, "Every 24 hours, it’s pain — it’s nothing but pain,". This is not only how Jacob Blake feels physically but this is how Black people all over the country feel. Every day checking the news and seeing another black man killed by the ones who are supposed to serve and protect should never sit right with anyone who calls themselves a human being. As protests around the country continue, our voices are still being heard. When we chant "NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE" that is exactly what we mean.

news article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/07/us/jacob-blake-video-statement.html