Mainstream Calls for “Unity” and “Peace” Are Dismissive

trigger warning: police brutality

Mainstream calls for “unity” are not unity. Mainstream preaching of “peace” aren’t actually preaching for peace. Let me tell you why.

From Twitter to Facebook, we see countless oppositions and critiques against Black Lives Matter protesters burdening the Black community with the idea to seek “unity” and “peace” over protests to express their anger. Then we see backlash against 49ers football player, Colin Kaepernick, exercising his first amendment rights with the idea that he is disrespecting our country.  On social media, we see anti-Black Lives Matter advocates harassing pro-Black activists by bombarding them with the “n” word. We see Black homeowners with their houses tagged with racial slurs- and there are worse things that never even make it to the news.

I attended a Black Lives Matter protest here in Eastvale during the summer. We marched under the blazing sun and blocked intersections. Months later, I still see people on social media hailing the idea of “peace” and unity” over protesting. They stand by their opinion that the protest was useless and unnecessary.

Kaepernick’s protest then began to ignite even more protests across the country against the anthem written by a slave owner and a line in the unsung part of the anthem that literally celebrates the slaughter of slaves. He protested against the idea of having to respect a country that doesn’t even respect him and the Black community. “But don’t protest like that,” more anti-Black Lives Matter people say, “that’s disrespectful.”

But isn’t that a peaceful form of protest? Or is the “peace” and “unity” that they want… silence?

The mainstream idea of “peace” and “unity” has been nothing but tools to silence the justifiable anger of the Black community. Had all those people who preached the idea of “peace” and “unity” genuinely wanted peace and unity, they wouldn’t use it to police and degrade the Black community’s valid anger.

Their idea of peace and unity is not genuine. Their “peace” and “unity” serves as an annoyed response against the protests that they don’t want to take the time and effort to understand. We all want peace and unity- especially the Black community. However, we don’t achieve peace and unity by constantly minimizing the efforts of the Black community to do so. The Black community riots and protests because their voices are, time and time again, neglected. All those innocent, murdered Black lives and we still have no justice against guilty police officers. If people truly wanted peace, they would stand in unity and solidarity with the Black community and help amplify their voices. We help demand justice and urge a change in society and our government that eliminates systemic oppression and an end to the corrupt justice and police system. Peace will then follow after the Black community’s voices are heard and their demands met- not when people constantly suppress their very reasonable anger.

The Black Lives Matter supporters and activists have been demanding peace against a barbaric police force and justice system. It is because that they are unheard that they take on to the streets to protest for justice. How can anti-Black Lives Matter police the Black community’s anger when Black people have been disrespected and degraded for centuries? Do we truly understand their struggles or do we just want silence and comfort?

Do people actually think that the reason why an entire movement with a plethora of followers and protesters willing to risk their lives for justice are only doing it because the movement has become mainstream?

Tupac Shakur and N.W.A. are only two examples of artists that have rapped about police brutality. Clearly, this issue of police being trained to shoot-to-kill paired with racial profiling have been terrorizing poorer neighborhoods that POC most often reside. Clearly, this issue has been prevalent for decades now. Clearly, this system of oppression has disadvantaged poor POC in education, in prison, in traffic stops, in their own homes- in life.

And clearly, privilege in race and socioeconomics are endemic factors pouring an illusion over people who can afford to ignore and speak over other’s realities.

And to everyone who was mad that they couldn’t get their froyo or burrito bowl that those few hours of the protest down Limonite- a minor inconvenience for you shouldn’t be more important than the innocent Black lives slaughtered. That is truly telling of your priorities.