In honor of the late John Lewis, a civil rights leader, he is quoted as saying: "To those who have said, 'Be patient and wait,' we have long said that we cannot be patient. We do not want our freedom gradually, but we want to be free now! The documentary points out that America is still in a civil rights struggle and is still fighting for rights for African Americans.
However, both history and modern crime statistics show that the threat to Black lives everywhere is nothing new. To this day, Black children and adults alike entering into white neighborhoods can still result in senseless, life-ending situations regardless of their innocence.
Frederick Douglass was an American who was born into slavery in February of 1818, and was an author as well as an abolitionist. Douglass played an active role in leading the nonviolent protests that would occur in the 1800s and even wrote a book called A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, in 1845.
All African Americans in the U.S. make up about 13% of the population, however, African Americans, especially men, make up about 39% of the arrests for violent crime in America.
Although the statistics for the amount of crime committed by white people, particularly men, in America are true according to research done by the University of Minnesota, there is a disproportionate number of Black men represented in overall crime rates.
Additionally, unlike their white counterparts, African Americans have the legacy of slavery in America. Slavery began in 1501 where the first African slaves were sold off the coasts of West Africa from such countries as Ghana, Togo, and Benin. Africans were forced into positions of free labor through a system known as the "slave triangle" by Francis Drake and his colleagues according to historical records about slavery in America.
Though all lives matter, Black lives require more advocacy due to the long-standing systemic racism that is heavily ingrained in our justice system and society. So, how do we move forward without more revisits to the past?
With Generation Z, we hope to approach the issues of race, injustice, and equality from an educational standpoint reflective of moving forward without having to relive them on the day-to-day. Instead of having the past as a means of education and reflection, it seems we are being forced to revisit the struggles of our ancestors with modern-day trials reminiscent of the past.
https://swaay.com/freedom-black-rights-john-lewis
Kimberly took to entrepreneurship at a young age after being encouraged by her family to start something of her own. She has always had a dream of starting a fashion venture and developed POSHGLAM in college. Most of her time is spent exploring new opportunities for the POSHGLAM brand and having fun with her friends. In addition to her work with POSHGLAM, as a Black female entrepreneur, launched Little Black Dress Protest as a way for women to honor George Floyd, and show their solidarity with Black Lives Matter, while protesting safely amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. The protest encourages women to wear a Little Black Dress, sharing images of themselves to promote equality, peace, and justice for black people everywhere, from wherever they may be.