Pause...

Pause for just a moment...

If your reading this, you are have had the privilege of living in a moment that will be talked about for generations.

This year has been a year of revolution.

2020 was the beginning of a new decade and a new start. I never knew it would be a year that would soon be discussed in history class. Within the first 6 months of this year, a virus had swept across the nation, killing thousands and thousands of people. The political arena has been more of a warzone than ever before, and the amount of lives that has been taken due to having a different skin color has left many people with an unrest spirit.

For me in particular, this year was meant to be a moment of pause. Though the political world is running rampant and with this virus continuing to terrioze the nation, it took the nation being shut down and put on pause for the realization to set in that black lives are being stolen left and right without any proper justice or even recognization being given. Murderers are not being held accountable for their actions and it is past due for people to rise up and acknowledge the numerous amount of murders that are covered up and identified as accidents and self-defense.

On May 25, 2020, the death of one black man fed the flames to a cause that had kindling fires. Now, the Black Lives Matter, movement, founded in 2013, is a wildfire, spreading across many states, with uprisings in many countries. A revolution that has not been seen before since the Civil Rights Movement.

With the death of George Floyd, murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin, this caused the Black Lives Matter movement to become more prominent, more heard, and expand all over the world, having every race, age, and gender participate in worldwide protests. According to NBC News, Floyd's death sparked protests across the country, marking all 50 states into protesting with hundreds and hundreds of people attending each protest. Following the days after George Floyd's death, the protesting never began to dwindle, but instead started to progress in numbers, seeking justice for the murder of Floyd.

Some people would describe this moment in history as a series of riots. A series of violent acts against police and those that can stand under the umbrella of being white privileged. A series of people expressing their anger and "looting" streets and stores to send a message. Some people will never know why all these acts of violence and rage are being expressed. Some will never understand the depth in which these protests hold. Some will never even care.

The Black Community is tired. Tired of the unjust that continues right outside our doors in front of everyone. Tired of the murdering of innocent lives that only held the "crime" of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with a different skin color. Tired of police brutality that continues to get swept under the rug because the police involved claimed to be "doing their job." Tired of not being heard, or forced to be silent, or even just plainly ignored. This is the reason for the Black Community standing up, coming together to participate in protests, demanding for a change and justice.

Pause...

When this generation looks back on the year 2020...

Pause to remember what 2020 entailed.

Pause and remember why all the protesting began and what the protesting stood for.

Pause and remember the black lives that were unjustly taken simply for being dark-skinned.

Pause and acknowledge that 2020 is a year where a revolution took place.

Pause...