Peaceful Protest Introspection By Dana Bolton

When Dana Bolton told me that she was going to a peaceful protest, I saw an opportunity with a strong desire to share her experience.  I don’t think that society comprehends the difference between All Lives Matters vs Black Lives Matter.  Of course, all lives matters but what the black community is trying so hard to get through is that Black Lives Matter TOO.  I agree, there are numerous global causes that mistreat humans of all races. Society does not realise that this movement is the blueprint to something completely awe-inspiring.  As a society, we need to ensure that those with a darker skin tone are not discriminated against for: shopping, walking, running, dancing, singing while BLACK!  I have not a single drop of black blood but, my children do.  And, I stand with them! When I first read Dana’s piece, I had to read it small chunks the power was overwhelming. I would like to add a side note, Dana is an essential services worker,  I want to take this moment to not only thank her for her service but,  also this thoughtful evocative piece below which includes a poem within her article.

\”BLACK LIVES MATTER

BLACK LIVES MATTER 

BLACK LIVES MATTER\”

The chant echoed as I walked 

towards the crowd, \”No Justice\”…

\’𝘕𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦\’ followed in my head, 

until I reached the corner where they all met.

𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘪𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘯\’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘵. 𝘈𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘐 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘬𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴.

Once I reached the center, my heart sunk and the ground beneath me, I swear it rattled. It spoke, of souls in a March. Ready to join us in this time of battle, this time of free. 

–

\’GEORGE FLOYD, BREONNA TAYLOR, AHMAUD ARBERY- NO MORE MURDERS\’

\’SILENCE IS VIOLENCE\’

\’NO RACIST POLICE\’

\’STOP POLICE BRUTALITY\’

\’DON\’T RAISE RACISM\’

\’ENOUGH IS ENOUGH\’

and so forth on signs that raised voices that couldn\’t speak;

that raised voices amongst the ones who turned their cheeks

\”Hands Up\”, \’𝘋𝘖𝘕\’𝘛 𝘚𝘏𝘖𝘖𝘛\’

as we walked towards the police 

\”Hands UP\”, \’𝘋𝘖𝘕\’𝘛 𝘚𝘏𝘖𝘖𝘛\’

as we walked past the racists in the streets 

\”HANDS UP\”, \’𝘋𝘖𝘕\’𝘛 𝘚𝘏𝘖𝘖𝘛\’

as hands raised and the risk of bullet holes in our chests burned like fire within the rain,

but we poured on these streets and burned 

the fire out-

\”WHOS STREETS\”, \’𝘖𝘜𝘙 𝘚𝘛𝘙𝘌𝘌𝘛𝘚\’

\”WHOS STREETS\”, \’𝘖𝘜𝘙 𝘚𝘛𝘙𝘌𝘌𝘛𝘚\’

\”I can\’t breathe\” 

\”I can\’t breathe\” 

To think of how many lives have been taken, and yet here we are, bare-faced, hands up, voices strong, \’fear\’ out the window, \’fed up\’ on windshields, and all of our names on license plates upon our collar bones, pressed to their faces, banging on their ear drums, and embedded into all of their senses, until what we say adds sense to them-

Until they put their guns down to free hands 

Until zipped mouths speak against injustice 

Until graveyards bloom of flowers and not our dead bodies

…Until the strange fruit that hung on trees,

can break free and breathe-

So we can can live, freely

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯\’𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘥? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵, 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦s 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘴? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯\’𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰o 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨?

Look at how many have grown up thinking their melanin is nothing but a negative weapon of destruction.

Look now, how they\’ve grown out of that disgusting discrimination, and use their melanin as vocal equipments for a movement, that\’s moving rapidly across this world WE all live in.

See US!

\”BLACK. LIVES. MATTER.

BLACK. LIVES. MATTER. 

BLACK. LIVES. MATTER.\”

No Justice…

         No Sleep 

If you don\’t fight for me,

           We Will Always Fight For We!

No Justice…

         No Sleep 

We Unite! We Take Flight! We Are The Light!

No Justice…

         No Sleep

And we will be out here every day, Screaming:

\”BLACK LIVES MATTER

BLACK LIVES MATTER 

BLACK LIVES MATTER\”

No Justice…

         No SleeP(eace)