A Statement on Black Lives Matter (& Resources To Help The Cause)

No apologies for stepping out of my niche this time.

I haven’t had the heart or the clarity of mind to post anything lately, let alone anything travel-related when much more important things weigh heavy on all of our minds. This past week has been tumultuous, and all of us are going through a mixture of emotions. I feel sorrow at the lives unjustly lost.  I feel hope for the future a revolution can bring. There is disgust at the utter lack of leadership displayed by our elected officials. Most of all, there are the feelings of desperately wanting to help, but at the same time, the helplessness of not knowing what I can personally do to help the fight.

A majority of my readers are from outside of the United States. Internationally, this may seem like yet another phase of American fuckery, but I promise you that it is not. I implore you to educate yourself and appropriately assist how you can. Police brutality and racism aren’t exclusively American things, and I’ve been to enough countries to know that there isn’t an innocent one out there when it comes to racism and racial injustice.

This should not be a controversial cause. This should not be viewed as white vs. black, because it is not. It is every single one of us fighting against racism, police brutality, and a broken system that clearly does not work fairly for all Americans. There is nothing polarizing about saying that black lives matter equally. There is nothing controversial about holding criminals accountable for murdering the very citizens that they are paid to protect, let alone committing the horrific murders live on video. This is not a debate. Justice needs to be served, and there is no denying that there have been so, so many shortcomings for so many people for far too long.

America likes to scream liberty, equality, and freedom. Those words are empty when you fail to apply those values evenly to your people. Those of us that enjoy the privileges of that imbalance are complicit in its persisting.

Our own “leaders” have called for violence against our fellow citizens, the vast majority of which have been peacefully protesting and innocent. Thousands of our brothers and sisters have been arrested, shot at, tear-gassed, and even killed. Before we even have time to mourn the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, we have to add David McAtee, James Scurlock, and more to the ever-growing list. The government has empowered white supremacists and abusive police to the point that in the midst of anti-police brutality protests, they continue to act in the very ways we protest against. Even with cameras in their faces, they continue to attack us, as if to mockingly spit in our faces and say “what can you do about it while the man in the White House is on our side?”

Tensions are reaching a boiling point and being neutral now is no different than being on the side of the oppressors. You may be in a position of privilege where you feel that none of this will affect you, but you are just as needed to inspire change. Change can happen when those hesitant to speak out finally do. Is “my racist uncle will get offended” an equal struggle to the injustices faced by black people? Let those assholes know they are wrong and evil, and that they are alone in their outdated beliefs. Being passive from the sidelines is no longer an option.

Do what you can, but do something. The revolution may seem to take place only in the protests in our streets and in our cities, but for many of us, the fight can begin with ourselves and in our own homes. If something as simple as “black lives matter” is difficult for someone to understand, then hey, maybe it’s time to burn some bridges. And if you can’t speak out, help fund the voices that can.

This isn’t a political issue.

This is a humanity issue.

Black lives matter.

And until there is justice and a system that works fairly for all of its citizens, there will be no peace.

Simple as that.

Resources to Help the Cause

I’ll be updating this as frequently as I can. These resources have been pulled from various places across the Internet, but a great comprehensive source can be found here.

Donate Money:

Sign Petitions:

Resources for Protestors

A Compilation of Police Brutality Videos I’ve Gathered

Other Resources

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