How Black Lives Matter become more real to me

Actor and activist Jesse Williams recently made an incredible speech focused on the current state of the Black American.

From acknowledging many of the fallen victims of police brutality like Tamir Rice and Sandra Bland, to referencing the gentrification and emulation of Black people in America, Williams seemed to hit every nail on the head.

While watching Williams’ speech, we became happy. We thought yes, finally someone that so many different types of people know, look up to and love is keeping it real about the state of Black people in America. Chills and excitement ran through our bodies as we watched that speech, and we had a moment of hope. We thought that maybe, just maybe a change could be made based upon who was acknowledging the issues. If someone as famous and as popular as Jesse Williams addressed the issues, maybe people would listen and see it from a different perspective. We thought maybe people would just acknowledge the issues.

And then about a week and a half later, America learned of the tragic and unjust murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.

Both family men, Sterling selling CDs outside of a store, and Castile being pulled over for having a broken tail light, lost their lives due to ignorance, the over policing of Black men, and lack of proper training.

As a result of these murders, we ended up with two more hashtags of victims of police brutality, more police officers with paid leave after committing a murder, and a string of protests across the nation.

From New York City and Philadelphia, to Los Angeles and Washington D.C., Black Lives Matter activists have been out in full force.

Just last week, I attended a rally right here in Ithaca, NY. Here are a pictures and reactions to it:

I’ve attended a few rallies and marches before. It was always the same: someone gives a speech, the crowd cheers, we march to our destination and people film us on their cameras, the usual.

But this rally was so different. We did not just shout out the names of the fallen victims that everyone knows, like Mike Brown and Oscar Grant for example; but we also shouted the names of people I’ve never even heard before. These names were of the victims that did not make it to mainstream media.

Betty Jones. Jamar Clark. Jonathan Sanders. Zamiel Crawford. When I said their names, as well as many, many others, chills ran through my body. I was forced to remember that the police brutality Black people face does just not happen every couple of months when a new hashtag surfaces, but rather every day.

Every day a Black person is subjected to the police brutality that may result in their life being taken; and when I realized that, I was overwhelmed with anxiety and fear.

I have always known that any one of my family members, or even myself could be the next victim or hashtag; but hearing those names, and having to say the names of the fallen victims just made it so real for me.

If you’re reading this, just take the time to look up their names, and say them aloud. Repeat the names over and over again. Realize that those same names you read about in the newspaper and online were more than just victims of police brutality. Realize that those names you read were people’s daughters, or mothers, or fathers, or cousins, and so on. Realize that that person’s name you’re reading was a person.

Realize that person’s name you’re reading was a life.