Justice Community Responses

What did witnessing the Black Lives Matter movement last summer teach you about life in America?

“Witnessing and attending the Black Lives Matter protests solidified my belief in the collective. I think my activism journey began during my senior year of high school and while my knowledge on structural inequalities has expanded as a result of my sociology and WMGST courses, it was being surrounded by predominantly white people that made me recognize how significant community is. Were it not for the Black and other students of color on campus, I would not survive living in Clinton. Connecting this experience to the strength, resilience, and power present in the Black Lives Matter movement makes me hopeful that someway, somehow things will have to change.”

“That it’s unfair. That history keeps echoing and almost nothing has changed.”

“It taught me how easily radical movements and people can be commodified and co-opted into the ruling class. I think in America, it's so easy for white people to sanitize radical ideas and leaders (MLK) and prison/kill those who are a threat to white supremacy. It's scary but I think the widespread pushback to BLM shows it's radical origins and how it can be a way to reaffirm our humanity as Black people and envision a better world. I feel hopeful and pessimistic. Specifically with certain leaders in BLM showing more care for profit than the needs of folks within community, "leaders" showing up more in car commercials than in the streets. And yet, I also see the activists around me, on campus and outside. I see a different world through my family, my friends, conversations with people I'll never talk to again. I don't if I'll see change in the my lifetime, but I hope to do whatever I do to assist those on the frontlines and who do have a clear vision of a future and better world.” -ANON

MAP ’22: “I live in Florida City which is a predominantly black and immigrant community. Before BLM I would come into my apartment complex and see cops arresting multiple black individuals. This experience happened frequently. My family did not allow me to partake in the protests but I have friends who did and they would tell me about the many times they had dangerous encounters with the police. The BLM movement taught me that standing up for people, for yourself, and for the values and respect that create your identity is an indispensable part of our culture. Even though I am not black I consider myself an ally who wants to grow alongside those who don't have the privilege of being safe because of discrimination towards their skin color.”

“That a lot of people are passionate about justice.” -ANON

“Nothing new... that it’s trash if you aren’t white.” -ANON

JM ’22: “Witnessing the BLM movement last summer just confirmed what I already knew about this racist country, but observing the police brutality AT these protests and blatantly in front of cameras showed me how bold and proud racists really are. This boldness is fueled because it is accepted and even encouraged by oppressive systems in our country. Like the police were literally tazing a couple of HBCU students who did not attend the protests, in their car on the way home. Breonna Taylor? Ahmaud Arbery? Someone can kneel on a Black man's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds and still debate if it was murder. George Floyd. America wanted to show us how much they did not care about Black bodies in 2020, and they succeeded. But we already knew that.”