Torches, Confederate banners, Nazi flags, and violence reached a high and rare peak on August 12th. Undoubtedly, the rallies have been the most popular topic of conversation for the past couple days, and rightly so. To have something so incredibly disgusting featured on our own country’s soil, the soil of a country built to promote equal rights, is unspeakable.

The people of the Charlottesville white supremacist rally are anything but true Americans. To think that the white population is the only population that matters, or worse, to think that the white population is being “replaced” is the most ignorant way possible in which an American citizen can look at the progress we have made here in our country. I give my heart out to those who had been hurt in any way during the protests to this demonic practice, and I send all my support to the family and friends of Heather Hyer.

Many people will ponder this event. Many people will speak of the overwhelming tragedy it had caused; the overwhelming disappointment in some of our citizens it has brought on. Many people will mourn and sit in disbelief, trying to gather their thoughts. Many people will do nothing but share speeches of how incredibly awful this event is. They’re right to do so; they’re right to agree with those speeches-

But sharing those speeches on your social media is not enough to promote change.

Yes, it is a great thought to think that sharing a performance or article, such as mine, online will bring in those who do not agree with those opinions, and ultimately change their perspective. It is beautiful to think that through words and art we can change the way that some minds are made to think and believe. Despite the beauty and sadness that art may spark in our hearts as we watch and share and repost, it is not enough to promote real change.

Furthermore, the world must learn to bring their heads from the screens in which change is promoted and push it further into the air. Instead of just sharing a post, talk about it to your family, your friends, your community. Talk about the context live into the air to that people can experience it full force, one on one, inexplicably undoubtful. By sharing a post on Facebook, most of the time, it is only being seen by your friends and family; many of those whom you get along with just because you share the same views. It is imperative to meet these people who do not agree and try to open their minds in person, in large numbers. It is imperative to spread what we know in a way that cannot be proven wrong.

On average, the attention span of a human watching a video is two minutes and forty seconds, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information in 2015. They had stated since 2010 that this average is continuing to decrease as the years go on, and by now, it is increasingly different. Why is this important? Well, being that most of these influential pieces that are shared on YouTube are a lot longer than two minutes and forty seconds, it comes to the idea that citizens looking to promote change should do so in person. Watching a Broadway show in person is worlds different from watching it's bootleg. In person, a viewer is more prone to chills, tears, and excitement. Inspiration is always possible when an event is in person. It is the reason that so many schools and educators bring in primary sources of certain events in history, the reason you wished you could have talked to Elie Wiesel in person.

The first amendment in our Constitution calls for free speech, so it is imperative that we use this ability in the right way during a time containing such tension. Heather Hyer died standing up for what she believed in, and it will be talked about for decades to come. Nobody in a fight for equality deserves to die over it. Nobody in a fight for equality should feel the need to stand alone. Nobody in a fight for equality should feel that their only support in the world lies in those that sit behind a screen.

It is not just an expression when someone says that there is strength in numbers. Inside one belief, there are millions trying to promote it; this should be shown in more elements than just shares on Facebook. Our country is more than capable of achieving equality, you can see it in the spirits and hearts of so many around us. Equality is long overdue for so many people, but the fact of the matter is, no grouping of people has ever achieved equality through a screen. I’d like to believe I am not just another speech-another article on Facebook- because of the difference in the context of this article. I’d like to believe that those who read will do more than just share.

Equality is in our midst, and now is the time to push, now is the time to stand. Try to do so in our very own atmosphere.