This essay is part of a Youth Voice series on the one-year mark of the police killing of George Floyd. An introduction to this series can be viewed here.
Say his name. No justice, no peace. You give us justice, we give you peace. They gave us justice, and an instant calm went over the city. See, I’m not a battle warrior. I’m a warrior who wants to see victory over the war, not the battle.
Still, I find myself weeks after the guilty verdict of Derek Chauvin facing very blatant racism and prejudices. So the work has just begun. Working together for equality — not superiority! We have been suffocated for generations, have had our necks stepped on by systemic hatred for so long.
Was there ever a time America was great for Black people? That was my biggest issue with Trump. According to certain politicians, America was great when Blacks were silenced. Well, today, we have a voice. Foster care and policing go hand in hand. They both are a part of the same system. We have to fight every day for opportunity against the statistics on paper. When will people see that we are all human, and that equality is the only way to unify?
