We Gon’ Be Alright… Right?
It’s hard to feel hopeful about justice when Black folks keep dying.
Hey, ZORA Fam.
We know this week has been another whirlwind of emotions. After weeks of watching and waiting for a verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, he was found guilty on all counts for the murder of George Floyd last spring. A rare case of accountability in the justice system!
But not even minutes after finding out this news, we learned of the police shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old Black girl in Ohio who had called law enforcement for help and ended up being killed.
As Danielle Moodie reminds us in her recent essay for ZORA, one guilty verdict is not enough to change a centuries-old system of racism and injustice. But that doesn’t mean we should give up hope.
“The guilty verdict is an amalgamation of relief wrapped around an enormous amount of horror that Black people have been forced to endure in this country… But it’s going to take more than one guilty verdict to activate the healing in a body so readily abused by this nation. But one win is indeed a win, so let us take a collective deep breath as some of us will live to fight another day.
We’ve seen this week what can happen when we proclaim that our lives matter and we demand that police are held accountable for harming us. And we’ve seen this week how much more work there is to be done to end police brutality and restore the dignity of Black lives. But don’t give up hope, fam. Celebrate the small victories. Lean on and love on one another. Take a deep breath. The fight for our lives continues.
I love you (yes you!). Take care of yourselves.
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