On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a black man, was killed by law a enforcement officer in Minneapolis.
Since then, protests have been taking place in every state in the nation. #BlackLivesMatter fills my news feeds. People are checking their views and opinions, regardless of which side of the aisle they are on. I don’t know how long these protests will continue; so what’s next?
For starters, here in West Virginia, the primary election is being held tomorrow, June 9. The thing about forcing change to happen is that it demands that we speak to power. Those in elected positions always seem to have the last word. I’ve spoken to my share of elected folks, and sometimes it’s like trying to win an argument with my teenager right down to having a door slammed in my face. Voting is our one best chance of putting our wants and needs first. And for those of you who don’t vote, then you’re allowing the problems of the world — whether you view them the same as I do — to continue without question.
It’s easy to say that our vote doesn’t matter when it comes to the presidential elections, but in local and state-level races, that couldn’t be any further from the truth. And the local races are so important because they actually choose the leadership for our communities where we live and work, as well as our children’s schools. Not voting in local elections is irresponsible adulting, in my opinion. School board elections are super important, too, especially if you have a child in the public school system. I feel the same way about those representing our communities on the state level; vote or don’t complain.
Right now, we’re seeing a paradigm shift taking place. Racism, which is uncomfortable and usually easy to avoid talking about, is at the front of everyone’s mind. It seems that everywhere I look, someone is talking about it. I’ve seen people posting about it who don’t ever post about anything. And now it’s time to head to the polls to continue speaking on what is and isn’t acceptable.
One other thing that’s been running through my mind as a next step is to be counted in the Census. There’s been a push statewide to focus on counting communities of color because the numbers are always low. Now is the time to be counted, and the Census Bureau has resumed its door-to-door enumeration after COVID-19 sidelined it for a while. The nation is seeing communities of color for the first time in many places, and now is the time to make sure that you are represented. Keep the momentum going.
Now that people are emerging as activists and allies, what systemic changes can we seek to make? What are people talking about right now? What are their connections to power? Let’s start thinking about ways we can use this unity to push for real changes. One thing I know to be true is that the people living within the systems are the ones equipped to make the best suggestions about how to fix the broken pieces.
What about forming community groups to push for things like citizen review boards for police departments in every city? We need to start turning all of this energy and attention to forward progression. Who do you know that has talked about this? Can you get five like-minded folks in a room to start working on it? Who has emerged as a leader in your local efforts to support people of color in the last two weeks?
This is a great opportunity to put real movement into the movement. Look to your neighbor and have a conversation about what the community’s needs are when it comes to racial justice. Civic engagement is a must, and we can’t wait for or rely on someone else to do it.
Stay motivated. Go and vote as if your life depends on it because we’ve been shown time and time again that it just might.
Onward,
Amy Jo
