So in this past months, you have definitely heard of the enormous Black Lives Matter movement sweeping over the entire world. I find it sickening that humanity needs to protest in order to prove that everyone is equal. It is sickening that this battle against racism that has lasted hundreds of years is still going on. It is sickening that people are denied basic rights because of their skin colour, or the way they speak.

It doesn’t matter if they are playing in their backyard, or just walking their children to school, someone will find a reason to prosecute them, and that someone will walk away scot-free unless it is posted about online and there is a massive uproar. George Floyd’s brutal murder is just another in a long list of cases of police brutality against African-Americans. But because George Floyd was recorded and posted on the internet, there is a huge uproar that started this event.

The most disgusting part to me is that people are trying to justify his murder. They are trying to justify racism. I’ve seen comments such as “George Floyd was a drug addict and an absentee father, he didn’t deserve to live.” Well the officers who killed him did not know that. They were told that he had used a counterfeit bill at a store. They didn’t even consider the crime he committed, because all they saw was a big scary black man who had to be restrained.

Also, white privilege does exist. Does a white man get beaten at the curb for taking a walk? Does a white man have to hide behind something every time a police car drives by? Does a white man get slurs hurled at him on a daily basis? There are people in high places who use the idea of “diversity” to gain popularity. Certain companies will reserve a number of “black seats” or “Latino seats” in their company so they can show to the public that “we can accept people of all cultures.” This has created a huge problem in our world because if a black man gets a job on his own credentials, people will look at him like someone who got in because of reservation. He himself will doubt his abilities thinking that he got the job because of his skin colour.

And one last thing. We do not have to say all lives matter, because it is already given that they do. There are people in this world that believe that all lives except black lives matter, which is the entire point of the protest. “All lives matter” is a meaningless statement used by people denying their privilege and wanting to steal the supposed “spotlight” which is on the African-American community at the moment. So stop denying your privilege, and instead put it to some good use. Donate to a charity or spread awareness online, anything. Just remember that #BlackLivesMatter