We have to talk about liberating minds as well as liberating society.
- Angela Davis
On the heels of tragedy spanning two weeks in July, people are finally to the point where enough is enough. Pouring into the streets are protestors and supporters alike; unifying for the same goal of ending police brutality. There are powerful images coming from all parts of the country where people are being peaceful and terrorized by police in military grade riot gear and weapons. People all over the world are showing their support ranging from financial, speaking out and some countries are even going as far as putting travel warnings in place against the U.S. Everyone is playing their parts in this advancement towards peace for the lives of African-Americans in America.
We all have a part to play in this, and as far as I go I will protest and show support as best as I can. The main objective of me as a blogger is that I must do what I'm best at, and that's writing. It's times like these when people like myself record history in a way that it's not destroyed or downplayed when it comes time to recount what has been going on. Words are forever immortalized in the sense that if you type it then it will be somewhere on the internet forever. This is my piece of the war that I'm contributing to and I'm more than happy to play my part. Then you have other people who are artists and they express themselves either through song like Jay Z's first song in three years, Spiritual or even Joe Budden's powerful new freestyle of Beyonce's song Freedom. Everyone is doing what they do best in their lanes for the support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
That brings me to friend of the site Liza Lafontant.
Back in August of 2015 Liza authored tweets on her personal twitter account that I formed into a post called Do Something About It. It was in those words that she challenged people to get up and do something about the injustices going on in this country right now. She touched on how we needed to do something that lasted more than just a week and a couple of retweets on twitter. In the wake of the shootings it seems as though her words have not gone to waste and she's revering up her words with actions. While there are tons of powerful images making their way though twitter at the current moment, I wanted to share Liza's from her recent shoot with ThreeOverEast.com. It's a powerful picture for a myriad of reasons. Just take one look at it and you'll know how deep it goes and the different meanings in each of the things represented in the picture.
I asked Liza for some words on the matter of the recent events and this is what she had to say:
I'll say that the best way I'm able to express myself is through my art.The matter at hand is that people's lives are being taken when they shouldn't be, and there isn't any proper punishment for those involved. Rest in peace to the ones who've lost their lives in the face of police brutality; citizens and officers alike. One day Black Lives Matter will no longer be the chant as the world will truly value the importance of all lives. Hate is taught, but love is nature; and the power of love will always be stronger.
We all have a part to play in this uphill battle towards equality in this country in the face of racial and economic discrimination. There's a lot of conversations and acts that must be had if we are going to heal and change as a country. Whatever you're good at, whenever you can dedicate time towards helping those who are organizing on different levels to make impact for change, do so because every little ounce of effort counts. We as a country need to heal now, or we will falter later.
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