Maddy Truka

Wearing a shirt in support of the protest, senior Cam Redmond shares his voice through his clothing. Redmond attended a protest held at West to support Black lives. “Crazy things that have been happening in our world have made me want to be a part of the voice that Black lives and other races matter and we all should be equal,” Redmond said.

As I scrolled through Instagram on May 25, I came across a sickening video of an African American man named George Floyd, laying on his stomach in handcuffs as a police officer kneeled on the back of his neck. George Floyd was unable to breathe. After the cop was told multiple times by Floyd and other bystanders that Floyd could not breathe, he died. This situation left a bad taste in my mouth and left me in disgust. The cop should have listened to Floyd and the other cops looking on should have put a stop to the situation.

As the evening went on, I watched the video over and over and over again and every time I watched it, it made me feel even more disgusted and I started to realize the gravity of this situation. I asked myself questions, like: Why didn’t the other officers stop him? What will this mean for the rest of the world in the future? When will we get justice and realize that we are all equal? 

The next day, the world erupted in rage. There were riots and protests in every community and country; the anger was world-wide. People everywhere began to take action. There were posts about racism all over social media that led to the whole world using their voice to gain the attention of the government. There were people arguing, both on social media and in public about this situation. While all this was happening I felt like it wasn’t something we could post or argue about to make everything okay. We need people to actually act together, and fight for equality because we are all human beings. Social media posts, discussion and awareness are great but they won’t solve the problem; action will.

As I began processing everything I was witnessing I began to ask my parents questions–– only they didn’t have the answers. I became more scared. The only answers I got told me that, wherever I go, I always have to have an emergency escape plan in my head for all different situations and to watch the actions of the people that I am around.

During a time like this it can be difficult to look at the bright side of this situation; but we can look at the opportunity these difficult times present. People of all races can and are coming together to protest for justice. People are using their voices to speak about their emotions. From professional athletes, to actors, to business leaders, to teachers, to everyday normal people— we have the opportunity to all come together to fight for justice. If people can come together as a community, as a nation and as a world to seek change, this will be the turning point of our society.

It’s up to us to use our voices to get people involved and educated on racial injustice. We need to take action in the world and use our voices and actions to seek justice in the world for all races. Social media limits us from using our natural voices to spread justice in the world. We need to take action and it needs to start in society as a whole; it starts with action.