Black Lives Matter, 2020

If there is anything I want folks to fully hear and understand is that #BlackLivesMatter is not just a hashtag, but a form of living! Stop being pro Black lives when it’s politically convenient!!!

Your official statements mean nothing if you aren’t hiring Black people at a living wage, providing quality benefits, calling out micro aggressions on the job and dismantling policies with anti-black language.

Your blackout post mean nothing if you aren’t standing up for and with your Black friends when they are met with racism in everyday spaces. No more discussing women rights issues and not discussing Black women being paid less than white women or the fact that Black mothers die four times the rate of white mothers during child birth.. I’m going to say it again, stop being pro Black lives when it’s politically convenient!!!

What happens inside you during this time is much more important than what is happening around you. Racism isn’t always white hoodies and calling someone a n***** . Racism is an all white executive board making decisions that impact workers of color. Racism is only acknowledging Black history during the month of February. Racism is watching a Black a man die at the hands of the police and say “well what did he do” while also watching a Black peaceful protester get hurt by the police and say “well she shouldn’t have been there.”

Use the hashtag to bring awareness, change your profile picture to make a statement, but above all, change your heart and change your ACTIONS! Look at ALL things from the lens of others and unlearn your past and re-educate yourself in the process. So ask yourself this, when the protests are over, what’s next???