#BLM & Me
I am extremely cautious when voicing my opinion in a public forum; whether it be via Social Media on Instagram or Facebook, sometimes even Twitter, or online engaging with commenters. Not posting about what is going on right now, across the nation, is wrong. Remaining silent is part of the problem. I am a firm believer that people are entitled to have their political opinions and no one has to force you to believing or wanting to defend anything in particular. That’s part of our Constitutional right as Americans. Freedom of Speech. While I understand that some protests are becoming dangerous, and people are breaking the law, I don’t think that people (bystanders) should be one to judge. Another Constitutional right is Freedom of Assembly. I don’t condone violence, especially to Police as I have family and friends who are police officers, but I don’t condone the hypocrisy I see all over the internet. If you are going to make a comment regarding the current events happening in the United States, then do not get upset when someone disagrees. It is their right to disagree, just as it is your right to post your opinion.
Black Lives Matter
Although I have always believed that all lives matter (and by this I mean, a black, brown, yellow, white, Asian, Latino, Hispanic, Caucasian, etc.) I also understand that right now all lives aren’t being hunted down and persecuted. Right now, it’s our black friends and family members who are fearing for their safety and their lives. Black fathers are afraid to walk their black or biracial children to school, to the park, around the block. It doesn’t matter what the destination is, there is fear – for their lives, and their families. That shouldn’t be the case, not if all lives truly did matter.
I can’t sit here and pretend I understand. I am white than Snow. But I have extended family members who are black and/or brown, even biracial. I worry for them. I worry for my friends from work, or who I’ve worked with in the past. I worry for the stranger who lives 3 doors down and walks his dogs around by neighborhood. Is he afraid? Probably. That is the precise opinion/thing/action that needs to change.
I’ve been reading and posting things on Instagram, but I wanted to highlight one specific article that I truly felt resonated with me. It is from Harper Baazar about the difference in saying Black Lives Matter versus All Lives Matter. You can find the article here.
Another post I wanted to highlight, and you will need an Instagram account to view this, is one that specifically calls out my friends and family who are Cuban. I found it to be incredibly powerful and truly necessary because it is very easy for people to forget where they came from and what it means to come from that situation. This specific post on and for Cuban American’s can be found here.
