- MA'KHIA BRYANT
- MATTHEW "ZADOK" WILLIAMS
- DAUNTE WRIGHT
- JAMES LIONEL JOHNSON
- DOMINIQUE WILLIAMS
- MARVIN SCOTT III
- JENOAH DONALD
- PATRICK WARREN
- XZAVIER HILL
- ROBERT HOWARD
- VINCENT BELMONTE
- BENNIE EDWARDS
- CASEY GOODSON JR.
- AIDEN ELLISON
- QUAWAN CHARLES
- KEVIN PETERSON JR.
- WALTER WALLACE JR.
- JONATHAN PRICE
- KURT REINHOLD
- DIJON KIZZEE
- DAMIAN DANIELS
- ANTHONY MCCLAIN
- JULIAN LEWIS
- MAURICE ABISDID-WAGNER
- RAYSHARD BROOKS
- PRISCILLA SLATER
- ROBERT FORBES
- KAMAL FLOWERS
- JAMEL FLOYD
- DAVID MCATEE
- JAMES SCURLOCK
- CALVIN HORTON JR.
- TONY MCDADE
- DION JOHNSON
- GEORGE FLOYD
- MAURICE GORDON
- CORNELIUS FREDERICKS
- STEVEN TAYLOR
- DANIEL PRUDE
- BREONNA TAYLOR
- BARRY GEDEUS
- MANUEL ELLIS
- AHMAUD ARBERY
- LIONEL MORRIS
- JAQUYN O'NEILL LIGHT
- WILLIAM GREEN
- DARIUS TARVER
- MICIAH LEE
- JOHN NEVILLE
- MICHAEL DEAN
- ATATIANA JEFFERSON
- BYRON WILLIAMS
- ELIJAH MCCLAIN
- JALEEL MEDLOCK
- TITI "TETE" GULLEY
- DOMINIQUE CLAYTON
- PAMELA TURNER
- RONALD GREENE
- STERLING HIGGINS
- BRADLEY BLACKSHIRE
- JASSMINE MCBRIDE
- ALEAH JENKINS
- EMANTIC BRADFORD JR.
- JEMEL ROBERSON
- CHARLES ROUNDTREE JR.
- BOTHAM JEAN
- HARITH AUGUSTUS
- JASON WASHINGTON
- ANTWON ROSE JR.
- ROBERT WHITE
- EARL MCNEIL
- MARCUS-DAVID PETERS
- DORIAN HARRIS
- DANNY RAY THOMAS
- STEPHON CLARK
- RONELL FOSTER
- DAMON GRIMES
- JAMES LACY
- CHARLEENA LYLES
- MIKEL MCINTYRE
- JORDAN EDWARDS
- TIMOTHY CAUGHMAN
- ALTERIA WOODS
- DESMOND PHILLIPS
- DEBORAH DANNER
- ALFRED OLANGO
- TERENCE CRUTCHER
- CHRISTIAN TAYLOR
- JAMARION ROBINSON
- DONNELL THOMPSON JR.
- JOSEPH MANN
- PHILANDO CASTILE
- ALTON STERLING
- JAY ANDERSON JR.
- CHE TAYLOR
- DAVID JOSEPH
- ANTRONIE SCOTT
- BETTIE JONES
- QUINTONIO LEGRIER
- COREY JONES
- SAMUEL DUBOSE
- DARRIUS STEWART
- SANDRA BLAND
- SUSIE JACKSON
- DANIEL SIMMONS
- ETHEL LANCE
- MYRA THOMPSON
- CYNTHIA HURD
- DEPAYNE MIDDLETON-DOCTOR
- SHARONDA COLEMAN-SINGLETON
- CLEMENTA PINCKNEY
- TYWANZA SANDERS
- KALIEF BROWDER
- FREDDIE GRAY
- NORMAN COOPER
- WALTER SCOTT
- NATASHA MCKENNA
- RUMAIN BRISBON
- TAMIR RICE
- AKAI GURLEY
- TANISHA ANDERSON
- LAQUAN MCDONALD
- CAMERON TILLMAN
- DARRIEN HUNT
- MICHAEL BROWN
- KAJIEME POWELL
- MICHELLE CUSSEAUX
- DANTE PARKER
- EZELL FORD
- AMIR BROOKS
- JOHN CRAWFORD III
- ERIC GARNER
- JERRY DWIGHT BROWN
- VICTOR WHITE III
- MARQUISE JONES
- YVETTE SMITH
- RENISHA MCBRIDE
- JONATHAN FERRELL
- DEION FLUDD
- GABRIEL WINZER
- WAYNE A. JONES
- KIMANI GRAY
- KAYLA MOORE
- COREY STINGLEY
- DARNESHA HARRIS
- JORDAN DAVIS
- MOHAMED BAH
- SGT. JAMES BROWN
- DARIUS SIMMONS
- REKIA BOYD
- TRAYVON MARTIN
- WILLIE RAY BANKS
- KENNETH CHAMBERLAIN SR.
- CLETIS WILLIAMS
- ROBERT RICKS
- EUGENE ELLISON
- DANROY "DJ" HENRY JR.
- AIYANA STANLEY-JONES
- LAWRENCE ALLEN
- OSCAR GRANT
- JULIAN ALEXANDER
- MARVIN PARKER
- DEAUNTA FARROW
- SEAN BELL
- KATHRYN JOHNSTON
- TIMOTHY STANSBURY JR.
- ALBERTA SPRUILL
- ANTHONY DWAIN LEE
- RICKY BYRDSONG
- AMADOU DIALLO
- JAMES BYRD JR.
- NICHOLAS HEYWARD JR.
- MARY MITCHELL
- SHARON WALKER
- ELEANOR BUMPURS
- EDWARD GARDNER
- ELTON HAYES
- FRED HAMPTON
- MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
- ALBERTA ODELL JONES
- JIMMIE LEE JACKSON
- MALCOLM X
- JAMES EARL CHANEY
- LOUIS ALLEN
- MEDGAR EVERS
- HERBERT LEE
- JOHN EARL REESE
- EMMETT TILL
- WILLIAM MCDUFFIE
- DELLA MCDUFFIE
- MALCOLM WRIGHT
- GEORGE STINNEY JR.
- DR. ANDREW C. JACKSON
- WILL BROWN
- LEVI HARRINGTON
And many others.
I want to commemorate the people whose lives matter. Black Lives Matter.
Racism should never be tolerated. When May 2020 ended with a a world-wide uproar, no one could ignore how quickly a life was taken by another life who vowed to 'serve and protect' lives. George Floyd's death reopened the deep wounds of history's bloody ideals. The whole world had one question to answer: "What does it mean to 'matter'?"
We all had to sit in the necessary discomfort in order to see our own ignorances. We needed to face our own ingrained ways of thinking, speaking and acting. As a 'religious' person (i.e. someone 'belonging or relating to a monastic order or other group of people who are united by their practice of religion'), I had to question some of the responses (or lack of) responses I was (or was not) seeing online. I was disappointed to see a lack of advocacy from the people who claim to be 'pro-life'. It made me mad to see that many people how shared my faith were the most adversed to being there for their black friends. I was also confused as to why some POCs in my own circles 'didn't want to get involved' because it's 'not their fight'.
It became clear that fear was as contagious as covid.
I learned very quickly that many people around me hid behind their pseudo religiosity and were constantly 'reflecting' upon the issues and were spewing religious jargon to avoid answering the question of what does it mean to 'matter'? As an English teacher, I hated the fact that the Black Community had to reiterate that to have 'all' lives matter 'black' lives should be counted too. It seems like a no-brainer, but when racism is ingrained in all aspects of society, people only seem hear the "unspoken" racial hierarchy being "re-arranged" allowing colonial panic to rear its ugly head. Racism is the Mr Hyde to Society's Dr Jekyll. On the surface, we don't talk about it, but the moment we're told to 'see it from the others' point of view', it's hard to Hyde what we really feel.
There is still A LOT to say, but let's be honest, this blog has already stirred some sh*t in you as a reader (and in me as the author). Let's breathe and eat some ice cream to calm down.
We've just started this re-journey!!!
Next: Equality