Black Lives Matter
The Black Lives Matter movement as it has taken shape over the past year has undoubtedly changed the way that I view the issues surrounding race in our country. In the past, I believe that I, like many others, thought that it was often enough to see Black Lives Matter protests and agree with their messages, but not really do any of the work. I was definitely someone who due to their privilege, never truly understood what it takes to actually begin to see change in our society. This last year has really brought to light that simply agreeing with the platform does not end police brutality, does not illuminate systemic racism, and especially does not push forward the structural changes needed to create a fair and equal world for people of color. One of the biggest shifts in awareness for me has been the need for me to become Anti-racist to be able to be a true ally, and that my previous silence was enabling the racism we see to continue. In my experience, one of the main driving factors that helped to shift my perspective came through the outpouring of support for the movement that occurred online. The mass sharing of information, statistics and infographics, resources like books and research papers, as well as ways to donate and support the movement from home really helped me to both take a step back and educate myself on the racial inequalities of this country, but also come to terms with the roll I unintentionally played in perpetuating these issues.
As likely anyone who was a student during this time can likely tell you, there was also definitely a shift in the way courses were taught during this period, and has continued since, to include deeper discussions surrounding race, discrimination, and inequality. I definitely think that this shift helped me to understand a lot of the less readily visible issues surrounding race that have been perpetrated throughout recent history. These have included discussions on the psychology of advertisements and how communities of color are especially likely to be targeted by ads for harmful products like tobacco and fast food which can lead adverse health conditions, to the trauma repeated images of police brutality can cause for people of color, to discussions around the historical causes for disinvestment and unequal development of majority BIPOC neighborhoods and how that can lead to further economic discrimination and lack of resources such as food. I can definitively say that these discussions have really helped to drive home how far we have to go to drive out racial inequality in our country. While clearly these are major topics that help us to truly understand these fields, I have to wonder if not for the Black Lives Matter movement, if these ideas would have been covered in such depth.
It’s hard to ignore the impact the younger generations have had on the success of the Black Lives Matter protests over the past year. While most of the world was still in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people turned to online communities to get the word out about the movement. It is clear how younger generations’ knowledge of and use of social media to spread information helped the movement to have even greater impact and further reaching effects than the in person protests would have been able to achieve on their own. With these in person protests still being the backbone of the movement, it was clear how organizers were able to utilize social media platforms to organize events, spread information on how to stay safe during protests, and document their experiences for the world to see. For those at home, social media was able to spread information on community funds to help support protesters, spread awareness for events, and allow them to have a voice and give support without having to leave their homes. This allowed for information about the state of racial inequality and resources on how to be actively involved in the movement and being anti racist to be shared to millions in a matter of minutes, and created a push to support Black-owned businesses across the country. While this information often started with younger activists, the sharing of this information online allowed it to more easily find its way in front of older audiences who were able to join the movement or begin their own journeys of becoming a better ally.
Despite not having the maintained protests and rallies seen in major cities around the country and around the world, my area held several marches and protests in the wake of the George Floyd killings. One of the clear pictures that stands out from attending these events was the passion and organization around these issues shown by the younger generations. All of the events that I attended in my town were youth organized, with high school and college students planning the protests, bringing in speakers and community activists from our area, and more importantly sharing their experiences of racism and microaggressions that they endure on an everyday basis living in my town. I think that the ability to have a platform to share these experiences that start even at a young age helped a lot of people in my community to understand that discrimination and racial inequities have long been a part of our area, especially in many of the structures such as the school systems and police forces.
I have also seen the effects that this movement has had on the way older generations have viewed the issue of racial inequality in our country. Over the past year, the widespread protests and mass distribution of information around the movement both in the streets and online has caused many people to begin to question the opinions that they held previously. I know that even in my own life, the protests opened the doors to having difficult conversations with some of my older family members and family friends who had dismissed the Black Lives Matter movement in the past to help them to understand the motivations behind the movement, and to help them to understand truly how deep institutional systemic racism runs in our countries beyond simply the issues of police brutality.
