“Black Lives Matter”. Those are words being uttered by many individuals across the nation. Whether it be people of color, Muslims, Latinos or Caucasians, men and women alike have taken a stand against racism in America.
For a country that has made strides over the past few centuries, the last decade has set the United States back tremendously. With names like Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray and many others dominating media headlines for many of the wrong reasons, many across the African American community wonder, “Am I next?” and “When will this stop?”.
Those are questions that seem impossible to answer at this current moment, as just last month Terence Crutcher and Keith Lamont Scott headlined news outlets everywhere as the latest Africa Americans to be slain at the hands of the law. “When will enough be enough?” says Markell Waters, a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement.
In order to understand the movement, we must understand its origin. The movement began to catch traction on the internet after George Zimmerman was acquitted in the murder of Trayvon Martin. The ruling spread like wildfire across the nation as many people were outraged that an innocent young man was gunned down and the justice system completely whiffed the trial. The Zimmerman Trial brought back memories of the Casey Anthony trial as she too was acquitted of a crime that many say she committed.
None the less, the Black Lives Matter movement was born when Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi took to the internet to discuss their frustration with the ruling in this case. These women came up with the moniker “Black Lives Matter” and to this day, the moniker is only getting stronger and stronger.
Fast Forward to the present day and the Black Lives Matter movement is everywhere. Whether online or on the news, these ladies along with millions of other people have begun to speak out. They hold many friendly protests and stand up for what they believe in.
The Black Lives Matter movement has reached out too many social media outlets, including Facebook, which has a Black Lives Matter group that represents New York. Two prominent members that I interacted with in the group were Markell Waters, 21 and Spencer Smith, 23.
Both of these Individuals have completely different backgrounds as Mr. Waters family is from Jamaica, while Smith’s family is from Haiti. Mr. Waters is a resident of Long Island, New York, where he attends NYIT as an art major, while Smith is from Queens, New York, where he has hopes that he will be the next big rapper to come out of the area.
Though these two have completely different backgrounds, here they were in the same Facebook group, fighting for the same cause.
For Mr. Waters, he is tired of what is transpiring in this country. “Every night before I go to bed, I pray to God for a better tomorrow for those of us in the community and yet I feel like my prayer is being answered backwards” says Mr. Waters. His mother and father came to this country in the early 90’s in hopes of starting a family and having a better life. Now Mr. Waters will not deny that America has given him the opportunity to express himself freely, but he will say that being someone of color is tough. “It’s like being under a microscope. Someone is always watching you, whether you like it or not”.
People of color have always been discriminated against. As the decades go by, the criticisms of these people seems to only get worse. Take it from Mr. Smith, who for half of his life has been called a thug, criminal and even a vigilante. “When I walk into a supermarket, all eyes are on me. When I walk into Foot Locker, all eyes are on me, When I’m at work, all eyes are on me. When will there be a day where no one Is watching me?” Smith admits that he hasn’t been a saint, but, neither have people of so many other colors, so why is it that he says he is the only one that gets in trouble? “It’s because I’m black. Being born black is gods greatest gift, but also his greatest sin”.
These two men have been supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement since 2014 and don’t see themselves quitting anytime soon. “They can take everything from us, our homes, our jobs and our dignity, but they can’t take away our pride. They can kill as many of us off if they have to, even if they do, we will still find a way.” says Smith.
For these men, the movement shall never die. They don’t view it as a pastime or something to do. They have made the movement apart of who they are and try to educate the masses as best as they can. “The movement is only getting stronger. They can tell us to stay quiet as long as they can try, but soon they’ll have no chance at stopping us” said Mr. Waters.
These are tenacious young men who are fighting for what they believe in. Both of these men have traveled far and wide. Smith has attended gathering in Pennsylvania, while Waters has gone all the way to Georgia, where he has relatives who also fight for “What is right”.
“No matter where you are, you can look around and someone will always be different. The problem with our society is that people are scared of different. But, I’ve learned that in this lifetime, different is normal and that’s how I choose to live my life” said Smith.
In all ironies, Smith and Waters have actually met on several occasions at rallies throughout New York City. They have become good friends, and look forward to meeting up each time. The odds of Smith and Waters meeting would probably be between zero in a million had it not been for the movement.
Not only has the movement educated the community, it also brought them much closer together. “Everyone here is a part of my family, so if someone messes with any of the guys and gals in it, it’s on” said Mr. Smith. The movement clearly isn’t temporary, it’s here to stay.
With demonstrations across the nation, someone is bound to listen and relay the message to someone else. It’s a never ending chain-reaction that will only get stronger as the days go by. We can deny them all we want, but until something changes, they won’t stop. Mr. Smith and Mr. Waters are just two of the millions of colored citizens that have had enough with the system. They want what is right and won’t stop until they get it.
