Because of My Skin
46-year old George Floyd was a loving father to five children. Floyd worked as a truck driver and security guard in Minneapolis, Minnesota. George Floyd even worked at a Minneapolis nightclub with the man that would be held responsible for his death. But, to those close to him, George Floyd was so much more than that. He was viewed by those who knew him as a kind and pleasant soul. George Floyd was a devoted father and an all around family man taken too soon at the hands of police brutality.
George Floyd’s passing has affected many of us in different ways. For some of us, our eyes have been opened to the ever-present dangers of being a person of color in America. For others, Floyd’s passing acts a reminder that we have not made the necessary progress as a society to truly call ourselves the land of the free. But, above all, another mother has lost a son and another wife has lost a husband. Another daughter will have to one day walk down the aisle with her father looking down on her from above rather than next to her. Our society has lost yet another black life to police brutality fueled by systemic racism.
Names like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, are some of the few that have received attention lately, but what about the thousands of other names that have gone unsaid? What about the hundreds of mothers each year who will never see their children again? What about the hundreds of wives, husbands, and children who will be forced to live out the rest of their lives knowing that a life was taken from them too soon? What about the names that we do not know? What about the people behind these murders who have not yet been brought to justice?
It is our responsibility as citizens of this nation to remember that there are people behind the numbers. In 2015 alone, over one hundred black lives were taken in Maryland alone at the hands of excessive or unnecessary force used by police. We cannot allow ourselves to forget the people behind the protests that serve as a constant reminder that we, as a society, have failed. George Floyd’s murder is not about politics or your opinion. George Floyd’s murder is not the protests nor the riots. George Floyd’s murder is the continuation of years of oppression, ignorance, and a complete disregard for human life, a cycle that has and continues to take too many lives.
We must not let today’s political climate drown out the cries of the families who have been directly impacted by police violence as they have been before. There is no shortage of names of African Americans who have been killed by police in this country. This list also includes those killed at the hands of average citizens who feel so justified in their hatred for a group of people solely based on their skin color, that they feel it is their right to take that life.
People are steadfast in their efforts to call for equality, yet remain silent when reminded that justice and liberty for all includes black lives. You cannot have equality for all without the Black Lives Matter Movement.
This is why it is our right as Americans to gather in protest. When we gather, we must do so with the bigger picture in mind - racism in America is widespread. Racism in America is embedded in the soil of this country and we cannot let a fraction of progress lead us to believe that this is the end.
Our work will not be done until we can stop adding names to the list. Our job as a society is to recognize that before we can call ourselves the land of free, we must ensure that these freedoms are available to all those who call America home.
“Say Their Names”
George Floyd - Eric Garner - Breonna Taylor - Trayvon Martin - Ahmaud Arbery - Tamir Rice - Michael Brown - Philando Castile - Keith Childress Jr. - Bettie Jones - Kevin Matthews - Michael Noel - Nathaniel Pickett - Darrius Stewart - Keith McLeod - Leroy Browning - Roy Nelson - Miguel Espinal - Tiara Thomas - Cornelius Brown - Jamar Clark - Freddie Gray - Korryn Gaines - Richard Perkins - Sandra Bland - Tyrone West - Michael Lee Marshal - William Green - Sean Monterrosa - Alonso Smith - Anthony Ashford - Dominic Hutchinson - Anton Black - Paterson Brown - Emmanuel Oates - Rayshaun Cole - Lamontez Jones - Leonard Shand - Robert White - Robert Johnson - Glenn Tyndell - Christopher Kimble - Junior Prosper - Jamel Floyd - Laquan McDonald - Alton Sterling - Dontre Hamilton - Walter Scott - John Crawford III - Natasha McKenno - Jordan Edwards - Yvette Smith - Rekia Boyd - Charleena Lyles -Tanisha Anderson - Aiyanna Jones - Oscar Grant - Ezell Ford - Terrence Crutcher - Anthony Lamar Smith - Manuel Loggins Jr. - Samuel Dubose - Rashaun Washington - Freddie Blue - Kendra Diggs - Jermaine McBean - Gregory Hill Jr. - Ryan McCoy - Ramarley Graham - Rumain Brisbon - Hallis Kinsey - Yolanda Thomas - Armando Frank - Jerome Reed - Christian Taylor - Donald Ivy - Dustin Glover - Tony McDade - Felix Kumi - Jonathan Sanders - Brendon Glenn - Bradon Jones - Terrance Franklin - Samuel David Mallard - Miles Hall - William Green - De’von Bailey - Botham Jean - E.J. Bradford - Dante Parker - Lionel Gibson - Quanice Hayes - Deonte Keller -Akai Gurley - Jerame Reid - Antonio Martin - Jeremy McDole - William Chapman II - Anthony Hill - Eric Harris - Meagan Hockday - Ariane McCree - Darius Tarver - Kwame Jones - JaQuavion Slaton - Jamee Johnson - Michael Deen - DeJuan Guillory - Mario Woods - Akiel Denkins - Quintonio LeGrier - Gregory Gunn - Keith Scott - Alfred Olango - Kajieme Powell - Jordan Baker - DeAndre Ballard - Victor White - Danny Ray Thomas
Below are a list of organizations in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement that you can donate to today to help make a difference:
Sources: