Violence Is Never the Answer

Hey guys,

Like most of the world, (unless you’re not human) I’ve had a pretty heavy heart lately. Given everything going on lately I can’t personally write about anything else before I write about this. This is my friend, Helene’s, favorite kind of my writing. I typically like to plan out blog posts and somehow prepare what I’m going to say. This also applies to my talks. Those come from the heart too, but usually anything I’ve written without preparing it first is only reserved for my journal or VERY (in caps) few people for feedback so I can either leave it or make my final edits.

 

It has been a week since George Floyd was horribly murdered. I’ve seen protest footage that made me pretty emotional. This terrible mistreatment of the African American community rightfully so upsets us, as it should. I keep thinking, “What if this happened to Dad or to any of my friends?” George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery were someone’s friend. Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd were a part of someone’s family. You don’t need to see any video to know what happened was wrong. Hearing it brings up the same emotions. Hearing for blind people is your version of seeing. We still say words like see or watch though, promise. I will never forget watching CNN Friday as protesters caused a ton of violent destruction. As a blind woman, I particularly like CNN for their descriptive reporting. Politics aside, I personally feel like they do a great job of taking people to places and the reporters describe everything, as well as the descriptive reporting from the reporter back in the studio. I also saw footage last night from NBC. No matter your favorite news outlet, no matter whether you’re living in a red or blue state, no matter what side of the isle you are on, violence and destruction in my opinion is never the answer. I have seen people on social media say riots are the way to bring about change. I’m not here to push politics or force my opinion on you, but people like George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery were terribly killed. Why would people who were murdered want people to protest with violence when violence is the very thing that took their lives? As a blind woman, I can empathize with discrimination. I also know though that I’m privileged because I’m a white woman. We need to be using our white privilege to show we fully believe justice needs to be served, but black, white, blind, sighted, whatever it is, we are all the same. Last time I checked, we all go to bed and wake up each morning the same way. When the CNN Center was damaged and the Amni Hotel was vandalized, the reporter had to change location because he and his team were no longer safe. He was telling Chris Cuomo how he has a wife and a daughter he’d like to get home to. A reporter was arrested for being black. Would that have happened if that same reporter was white? No. I never imagined racism would still be an issue in 2020, but it is and it needs to change. No matter who we are, we all have someone we call family. We all have those friends we know we’d never make it without. You know right now reading this there’s people who just popped into your head. I keep repeating myself here because this is so important. I may not be as big as blind advocates like Molly Burke or Joy Ross, but I believe whether our platform is big or small, we need to be using it for good. I know people are angry. Throwing water bottles, causing fires and breaking windows is not the answer.

 

If you are upset like me and want your voice to be heard in a peaceful way, please join me in signing petitions like this

https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/demand-justice-ahmaud/?sp_ref=643901975.176.206592.f.652898.2&referring_akid=.9052197.UraEj8&source=fb_sp

and like this.

https://www.change.org/p/national-action-against-police-brutality-and-murder?recruiter=109511365&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=psf_combo_share_initial&recruited_by_id=969ccd73-2bf8-45ee-a5be-a385fc836e36&utm_content=fht-319519-en-us%3Av2

You can also read about how you can send an email demanding that justice be served here.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AKY8K2Mcsw32JIq41oVjXTU6u-nPIdvRoxEZEjzQWXk/mobilebasic

I’m going to put the following hashtags in caps because when they are written that way it is easier for screen reading software to read them for people who need that.

#BlackLivesMatter

#ICan’tBreathe

#JusticeForGeorgeFloyd

#JusticeForAhmaudArbery

#Justice

#Peace

#ViolenceIsNeverTheAnswer

#Protests

#Protesting

#CNN

#Reporting

#Reporters

#GeorgeFloyd

#AhmaudArbery

Sign these petitions, send an email and join me in letting your voice be heard.

Guys, please be kind to each other.

Miranda ❤