Moment of silence in the movement

Actions like from the photo below where a Howard University staged the photo to show their support for the Ferguson community opens me up to hopeful thoughts. Although this generation is more distant from the civil rights movement than older generations, history seems to repeat itself. Sadly, we come together after tragic circumstances and have to implode for justice and attention particularly to the issue of racism in this country.

The movement of taking a moment of silence that occurred recently across the country in the name of Michael Brown and naturally for so many other brother and sisters who have tragically lost their lives under unthinkable circumstances was touching, inspiring and uplifting to know that so many people are taking action to make black lives count. I came up with so many men of color who never thought they would live past 21 and now they have fear and fear for their sons who are carrying the same burden. The tolerance for ignorance and racism has reached a breaking point, again. And again, our justice system and government continue to fail us.

Unfortunately, the frequencies of these tragedies are rising. Why are situations like what is going on in the Ferguson, MO community becoming so familiar? If you have never experienced racism, this situation clearly illustrates how much racism is alive and well today. It is not only about holding bias views of people based on skin color, it is also about how institutions like the justice system and state government hold up and act in accordance with these bias views. The fear and criminalization of black men and boys has been going on since the beginning of America as a country, when will it end?

I salute all of the people who are speaking out against the militarization of the American police department, the reversal of protection (protecting police as opposed to police protecting its citizens), and the pattern of police action and police murder that has been bestowed on black men. The voices are all inclusive and that is what we need to make lasting change. We need to continue to have these hard conversations about the realities of racism. We need all hands on deck just like during the civil rights movement. We also need to look at what structural changes can happen to bring police officers back to the community as peace officers as opposed to near terrorists.

As Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Like Fannie Lou Hamer shared, “Nobody’s free until everyone is free.” My hope is that these moments of silence remind you as it did for me that we need to contribute to the struggle. It inspires me to continue to partake in the “hard” conversations to begin to dismantle racism. Take a moment of silence with your community and honor those like Michael Brown with intentional and purposeful actions.