This weekend, I went to a peaceful protest and vigil in Columbia, South Carolina. This was held in reaction to the deaths of Terence Crutcher, Keith Scott, and those like them. It was started by two young women, on black and one white, who were very inspiring. People had all sorts of signs and posters that said things like "Who polices the police?" and "Am I next?". There were 195 candles lit, for the 195 people killed by police this year. There were multiple speakers, including the two women who started it. The white woman spoke to the white people in the crowd, of which there were many, about how to understand and use our privilege to help the black community. The black woman spoke to how this is not the time and place for violence, and how we should listen to the speakers and really process what they're saying. There was a poet with a really incredible poem about how the world would be without police brutality and racism. Then a man spoke about how we can't stop our action at coming to the protest. He said we need to go out after the protest and work at getting justice and ending prejudice. Then, all the speakers read the names of some of those who had died at the hands of police. It was intensely moving and emotional.
My takeaway from this experience was that we can't stop. We can't stop fighting and protesting because then those who oppose the movement win. There's so much we can do and I feel like I'm not doing all that I can. I want to do more. Black lives matter, period. I was inspired by the involvement of women. Sometimes I feel as though being a woman, we're not taken as seriously about these issues. But no one was taking these women lightly. These women were amazing, they were bold, they were unapologetic. I look up to women like them, especially the white woman, who had found her place in the movement without speaking over people of color. I often worry that I don't have a place in this movement as a white person, but this showed me that everyone has a place. It also showed me that many people in our community really do care about this issue and about each other, which was amazing to see. The support by the people who came to the event was truly inspiring and moving.
