By T.C. Lesesne
Bigger than COVID19?
The young people in the above picture represent a large segment of young America taking to the streets to protests around the globe - in spite of a historic pandemic. The stunning global reaction to the #GeorgeFloyd murder at the hands of a #Minneapolis Police officer clearly marks a turning point in international social and political engagement. Few would have predicted that today's protests would have reached a level, depth, diversity and connectivity that nearly mutes the fear around the #COVID19 pandemic.
The depth and reach of the protests reaction to the George Floyd murder has taken all of us by surprise. The black lives matter movement has seen its ups and downs but I'm sure that no one would have guessed when that movement began that it would unfold into a global protest touching many races, many nations, many ages and economic demographics - all during one of the worst global pandemics in over one hundred years.
Small cities and towns are protesting too
Being heard is a top priority for #protesters. We've seen the images and video from big cities like New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago, but small towns in remote states like Montana and Iowa are experiencing locally organized protests. Countries around the globe are stepping in with demonstrations from iconic cities like Paris, London, Bristol, Brussels, Edinburgh and Sydney.
The Protests in Miramar, Florida this weekend (Seen below) was extremely organized, heavily attended and focused on voting and political activism.
To remain silent is to be complicit.
After having attended another protests this past weekend to better understand the people involved, the biggest takeaway for me is simply watching, reading and hearing non-blacks speak to one another: that to remain silent is to be complicit. To not speak out against racism and injustice is as bad as the act of racial violence and discrimination itself. It's also creating a dividing line between those who truly believe that peaceful protest is an American right, and those who believe that protest are what becomes a seed of civil disobedience.
As we see how this unfolds we also are going to pay careful attention to what leaders and activists are doing to move the needle when it comes to voting, voting rights, and accountability for those with oversight of police and government funds.
THE EVOLUTION OF PROTESTS is a series of social justice focused multimedia/digital content produced and presented by LMG entertainment. The TEOP series highlights the growth, evolution and effective tools and technologies modern protests have adopted to achieve long-term improvements in the #socialjustice system.
