Do Black Lives Really Matter? | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Do Black Lives Really Matter?

Yes.

13
Do Black Lives Really Matter?
Scott Olson

Do black lives really matter?

We live in a world where life is constantly changing for many individuals. The way humanity operates has certainly evolved throughout each generation. The ability to use technology to capture pictures and videos in seconds has refined the landscape of our society currently and for generations to come. Today, we see an America that is even more divided than it was when the Civil War was about to erupt. America is supposed to be the land of opportunity and represent the ideals of freedom, but the issue of mistreatment of its citizens by the government that protects us is thrown to the side like trash repeatedly. How many black and brown men will have to be killed for us to come together? Yes, my President is African American and I am proud of that, but that has not stopped black males from being killed at the hands of police brutality.

In 2016, one can still flip on to the news and see African American men be mistreated and shown no respect at all. In history this is nothing new, but African Americans have always been treated badly and locked in jail, at a higher rate than whites. With the presence of social media in this ever growing media platform, things can now go viral in minutes, and that is allowing the black community to see the violence that is making African American males a target to be killed at any time.

Innocent black lives are being taken left and right. When will we as black men stand up and make things happen? Let’s hope soon, because there aren’t many of us walking around anymore. African American males only make up 6% of the world population. Many of us brothers are already dealing with legal issues, some that includes jail time that is constantly holding us back. We say that Black lives matter but will we put our creative minds together to make the change that we want to see happen? Indeed we can point the blame individually all day long, but to make changes we have to become the system and educate ourselves on the laws of the world. To make the system better we have to stand up for our rights or nobody else will.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Blair Waldorf

The "Gossip Girl" series may be over, but Blair Waldorf's iconic character lives in our hearts forever. Blair was the queen of the Upper East Side, and a character you either loved or hated. She taught us everything we needed to know about life, love and of course, how to score a Chuck Bass. So the next time you feel a bit lost and are in need of guidance, look no further than to the Queen B herself.

As I spend my Sunday avoiding my homework and other adult responsibilities, I realized that I've watched this series over and over about a million times. Sadly, there isn't a Blair quote I don't know, so I came up with a list of a few favorites. You know you love her...xoxo

Keep Reading...Show less
class
Odyssey

College is an endless cycle of crappy, sleepless nights, tedious, boring lectures, and hours of never-ending piles of homework.

Keep Reading...Show less
two women enjoying confetti

Summer: a time (usually) free from school work and a time to relax with your friends and family. Maybe you go on a vacation or maybe you work all summer, but the time off really does help. When you're in college you become super close with so many people it's hard to think that you won't see many of them for three months. But, then you get that text saying, "Hey, clear your schedule next weekend, I'm coming up" and you begin to flip out. Here are the emotions you go through as your best friend makes her trip to your house.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Syllabus Week As Told By Kourtney Kardashian

Feeling Lost During Syllabus Week? You're Not Alone!

847
Kourtney Kardashian

Winter break is over, we're all back at our respective colleges, and the first week of classes is underway. This is a little bit how that week tends to go.

The professor starts to go over something more than the syllabus

You get homework assigned on the first day of class

There are multiple group projects on the syllabus

You learn attendance is mandatory and will be taken every class

Professor starts chatting about their personal life and what inspired them to teach this class

Participation is mandatory and you have to play "icebreaker games"

Everybody is going out because its 'syllabus week' but you're laying in bed watching Grey's Anatomy

Looking outside anytime past 8 PM every night of this week

Nobody actually has any idea what's happening this entire week

Syllabus week is over and you realize you actually have to try now...or not

Now it's time to get back into the REAL swing of things. Second semester is really here and we all have to deal with it.

panera bread

Whether you specialized in ringing people up or preparing the food, if you worked at Panera Bread it holds a special place in your heart. Here are some signs that you worked at Panera in high school.

1. You own so many pairs of khaki pants you don’t even know what to do with them

Definitely the worst part about working at Panera was the uniform and having someone cute come in. Please don’t look at me in my hat.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments