Silence is Agreement
Silence is agreement. Keep showing us who you are and we’ll remember.
You’ve heard me go on endlessly about how Black folks are dying. We’ve been calling for change for centuries, decades, years, months, weeks, days. Occasionally they’ll give us a crumb of consideration in the form of an arrest, a conviction, or a settlement. Such things are rare, and none of those things really feel like justice. None of those things will bring back the lives lost.
We’ve been reliving this same terrible situation over and over and Black folks have had enough.
We didn’t invent revolution, we learned that from y’all. It is incredibly hypocritical for this country to get mad at its citizens for calling for justice using the very practices with which this nation was founded.
Without protests there would be no United States of America. Without damaged property there would have been no American revolution. When white folks do it, it’s for the better good of the people. When black folks do it in the name of survival, it’s “uncivilized.” Back then, colonists wanted representation and control. Now, Black folks want to live.
“This outcry is the result of years of being unheard and the silence specifically within the bike/ outdoor industry is deafening.
It’s time to wake up and realize that it’s okay to stand for something.
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I’ve been in more than one terrifying racist situation that I wasn’t sure if it would end in my death or the death of the Black folks with me. Luckily that was not the case, but if it was, would you care?
Would you still be silent? Would you be too scared to call it racism? Would you look into my past and try to figure out if I lived a life of crime? If I was intoxicated? If I was resisting?
Would you justify my murder to make yourself feel better?
“What is my life worth? What is any Black life worth? ”
I’m calling out the bike industry. Black folks have been protesting for at least 3 days now, long enough for you to have had your marketing meetings and come up with a plan on how you can show your support.
Vague statements acknowledging that silence is not okay is not enough. Call racism by its name. Tell us you think Black Lives Matter. Tell us what actions you plan to take to better support Black folks.
If you can’t show your support, then I know where you stand, and I know that your silence is letting me know that protecting Black Lives are not worth your efforts.
Don’t tell me about the property damage, things can be replaced, people can’t. If you’re that mad about it, help us demand justice. Imagine how much it must matter if folks are willing to risk their bodies during a pandemic to fight for Black Lives. Imagine how much it must matter if folks are willing to show up to protests knowing the police have military-grade protection and weaponry which they are not afraid to use. What would it take for you to care that much?
I’m tired. I’m broken. I’m terrified. I’m done. This isn’t just about George Floyd, or Ahmaud Arbery, or Breonna Taylor, or even Tony McDade (the Black trans man killed in Tallahassee Florida by police just this past Wednesday). These are just a few of the lives we’ve lost this year. In fact, we’ve lost so many lives I can’t keep the names and locations straight. We can’t keep up. The pace is too high. The cost is too high.
Black folks are actively dying. Stop judging our outrage and help us do something about it.
These are just a few resources for helping/ learning. Please pass them along to the folks who are still struggling to understand why Black Lives Matter. Also, feel free to share more resources in the comments.