Black Lives Matter- research and awareness

To John Lewis, and to Everyone

John Lewis was a force of history.

He was beaten. He was bloodied. John Lewis's blood spilled on segregated land when he fought for equality.

He was called the "Conscience of Congress." John Lewis didn't stand down from any challenge. He was one of the most prominent figures in the civil rights movement. Lewis stood side by side with Martin Luther King Jr and marched at Selma, where his skull was fractured for the sake of equality. Lewis's words rang through the ears of many.

Lewis was arrested countless times during the 60s. He didn't stand down. He smiled as the police took his mugshot. Lewis smiled because he was doing what was right.

"When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to go do something."

- John Lewis: civil rights activist, congressman, and hero

This hero died recently after battling pancreatic cancer. John Lewis was 80 years old. May he Rest In Peace.

After hearing the story of John Lewis, my mind began to wander. It began to write. It began to launch into a little speech. And I know that at the moment you cannot hear my voice, but perhaps that's not what matters. You can hear my words in your mind. You can imagine them.

Four hundred years. Four hundred years and yet we still are not equal. Four hundred years and still being black is considered a crime. Why? Why is the world like that? I suppose it's fear, but I cannot truly understand the evils of the human mind. I hope that I never understand it. I feel that the evils of racism have evolved and have ingrained themselves so much into society that these systemic flaws have gone unnoticed by those in power.

So why are we standing down now? Why are we not keeping up the fight? This is not a phase, it is an unjust system. It is a system that needs to be called out until it is torn down.

I cannot be quiet. We cannot be quiet. We cannot throw in the towel when we think everything is alright, because nothing is alright until we know that everything is great for everyone. It doesn't matter what their race, gender, sexuality, or religion is. They deserve to live their lives to the fullest. Without fear. I cannot let my personal fears get in the way of doing what is right. When we mess up, we should not be apologizing through tears. We should be apologizing with knowledge that we are learning. That we are stepping in the right direction. When we feel that the noise is dying away we must turn up the volume. When we feel that something is wrong we must educate ourselves. When we feel that it's too late we must overcome our worries and stand up.

Because it's never too late to stand up. Just clear your mind, untangle your worries, and say what you know you believe. Our anxieties do not define our humanity. It's okay to be worried. Sometimes we can't control it. That's not what defines your stance in this situation. It's what you choose to do. Our humanity is defined by our actions. By what we put out into the world. We need the voices of the past to be carried in our own throats. We cannot let the words and actions of John Lewis and those like him die. We cannot let that passion and that sense of conscience die. We must keep it alive. Through anger. Through fury. Through passion.

Through love.

Because in the end, it's about loving one another. It's about letting love win. It's about living freely without fear of the next headline. It's about the people who are supposed protecting us learning to love us all. It's about reaching out to those who care to educate those who don't. It's about pushing beyond ourselves and into the arms of society. It's about being unafraid of what we'll find and being confident in what we'll do.

It's about not fearing the day when we can all love and laugh together. It's about wanting that day to come with a passion. It's about finding the light in yourself that screams for a society full of love. It's not about not seeing color, but rather seeing all the beauty in it. It's about appreciating this wonderfully diverse society we have. It's about raising the voices of love that have been buried in those of hatred. It's about searching within yourself and uprooting the roots of hatred that may have started to grow. It's about planting seeds of curiosity and appreciation. Of love and happiness.

It's about planting the seeds for a new society. It's about letting those seeds grow beyond our minds, letting the vines spill out of our mouths, and letting the words explode into the world every single time we see something wrong. It's not only about imagining the day when we are all equals but rather striving for it. It's about hearing those in need out. It's about standing with them. It is about using the power of the human voice to reach beyond our lips and into this future that we all dream of.

Because that future is not that far off.

If we stand up.

If we speak up.

If we are willing to learn.