The birth of our nation began in destruction and violence. The end of constitutional slavery was achieved through destruction and violence. Legal civil rights protections were achieved through destruction and violence. All these conflicts have one thing in common—the people in power were deaf to the voices of the oppressed. When the pain of oppression is great enough, it is human nature to fight back. How the oppressor responds makes all the difference in the world. The resolution of the conflict rests not in the hands of the oppressed, but in the hands of the oppressor.
Many people are baffled by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement because they have never had to walk in the shoes of a black person. The BLM movement is not a dismissal of the importance of everyone else’s life, but a demand for recognition of the humanity of our black brothers and sisters and their inherent right to equality. It is about a mother’s fear for her child who cannot play with a toy gun at a local park or listen to music sitting in a car—always worried that they will not come home. You might ask why is the black community reacting now? There are numerous reasons. For starters, Rodney King, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Laquan McDonald, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, Samuel DuBose, Freddie Gray, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and , of course, George Floyd. And today, Rayshard Brooks. Tomorrow? The list goes on.
The black community has tried to live by the rules, but it does not seem to matter. They still do not have the rights and privileges afforded to white Americans. Lack of affordable housing, lack of health care, lack of educational opportunities, and lack of equal justice. In Huntington Beach, white residents of privilege protested a few weeks of self-regulated stay-at-home orders. Boohoo. Try 400 years of shackling.
Our black brothers and sisters are strong. They continue to rise like a phoenix out of the ashes of broken promises for equality. But they need the rest of us to come to the table in partnership and solidarity. And like charity, it starts at home. We are faced with a choice as individuals and members of institutions: Are we going to force a violent resistance to oppression, or are we going to listen and make the necessary changes willingly?
I have made the personal commitment to join arms with our brothers and sisters to fight for lasting, structural change. And to start at home with family and friends and with our League. I know it will be uncomfortable for me. But how could I live with doing nothing? We all must ask ourselves that question.
This special edition of the Voter is only the beginning of this effort to place a spotlight on institutional racism, the system of power designed to maintain it, and mechanisms to dismantle it. Please join.
—Martha Zavala, President
