It would be easy to turn off the television and silence the phones or turn off the social media notifications.  However, that wouldn’t solve anything, now would it?  The rage that some, including myself, are experiencing right now stems far deeper than most can comprehend.  What the United States, said to be one of the greatest countries in the world, is experiencing isn’t new.  Generations have fought for equality and look at where we currently stand…nowhere.  History seems to certainly be repeating itself, the only difference now is that, instead of international wars, there’s a new domestic war brewing that many don’t care to acknowledge.

 

I’d be hypocritical to not point out that my culture, the black culture, has been suffering for hundreds of years, but we also need to do better as an entire community.  I am not just enraged and hurt by what I see on the news far too often, but I’m also hurting when we begin to hurt each other, when we choose a path of ignorance, rather than intelligence.  I get it…we fuck up a lot!

However, one issue does not trump the other.  The fact still remains that it has come to the point, that so many are looking down upon us as if we deserve to be executed in cold blooded murder for the world to see.  It’s as if people are watching a video game or a scary movie.  If you are one of those watching a scary movie, it’s time to wake up.  There is some serious work that needs to be done and it needs to start now.  We are losing our brothers, mothers, sisters, cousins, fathers, husbands, boyfriends, nieces, nephews to pure hatred and violence.

 

If the world wants to stand by and watch while we are self imploding and also being targeted and hunted like animals then WE must be the ones to begin the change we wish to see.  We need to start volunteering in our own neighborhoods, giving back to our communities, finding peaceful solutions, sparking action rather than violence, banding together for positive experiences, etc.  When will we be fed up?  When will we be so enraged that we demand to be respected and treated as an equal?

There’s a war being fought right before our very eyes and it isn’t about choosing a side of white or black, cop or citizen, it’s about choosing the right side…the HUMAN side.  We will never get along with everyone and truth be told, not everyone will ever treat the next person with equality or respect, but we can impact portions, clusters, groups, nations, cities, and neighborhoods.

 

Stop the violence and let’s get to work!