Cover page
Photography by Athena Merry
Design by Problematic Art
Photo by Skyi April
The Fallen ones by Shawn Ware
Picture and words by Isaiah Holloway
It’s easy to not understand when you are sitting in comfort. Read and honor these innocent, young, Black lives of children, men, and women who were taken too soon. The lives of these African-Americans will not be forgotten, and their stories will continue to be shared for generations. Have all the past decades of racial profiling, privilege, and police brutality against people of color in the United States alone taught us citizens nothing? At what point do we stop staying complicit and oblivious to the systematic oppression against people of color and minorities? Do not stay oblivious to the Black lives being taken from the world as if this is supposed to be a regular, daily occurrence. It feels like we have been fighting for our freedom ever since the world begun. There is a reason behind why we chant “no peace, no justice”, it is referring to the blatant discrimination and prejudice against black people from police, and the fight for our basic human rights. It seems like the US police only serve to benefit the white population, who do we call when police murder us? Do not stay oblivious to the fact that black men in the US receive sentences that are 19.1% longer than those of white men convicted for the same crimes. Yes, non people of color have made progress in where they stand with us today, but the fight for our rights will never end. No-one should simply have to explain to the white population why we say black lives matter and not all lives matter, and why we are peacefully protesting.
AM I NEXT? Do I risk becoming another black male statistic when I step out of my house? Will I be safer going shopping with my white grandfather? I shouldn’t have to honor these names because they should not have been taken from us in the first place. I shouldn’t be seen in the eyes of police as a weapon because of the color of my own skin. These black lives were more than just their color. I pray the families of the lives taken are healing today, and everyday. Black people are more than just their color, we are everywhere, we exist in so many aspects of life. We have a culture, a history, something truly worth fighting for. #blacklivesmatter #justiceforgeorgefloyd
By Anaiyah Sabir