Dear America, 

The year 2020 brought many tragedies, much to overcome, and a time where our country needed to unite and come together. A big event that many are well aware of is the black lives matter movement, also known as “BLM”. The movement brought to light of all the injustice our country has faced, and still is facing today. On May 25, 2020, George Floyd died from police brutality, which sparked interest from people all over. This tragedy had sadly been a common issue for people in black communities, which led them to fear all cops. They believed that they were out to get them, and weren’t ever going to protect them like they vowed to in the oath when becoming part of the task force. Racial profiling is a tough subject for Americans to address, but that doesn’t mean it should go unnoticed. And it hasn’t. The uptake in protests and facing the issues at hand is what makes our country do better for their people. America heard the message loud and clear from Americans all over, and they took into consideration the frustration they’ve put up with. With that being said, I believe that this summer’s protests were only the beginning to such a remarkable change for us, simply because the black men and women are no longer trending in the media doesn’t make it suddenly okay. No one has dismissed that petrified feeling that black people feel when passing a cop, whether it’s on the street or while in their own vehicle. Our country has so much more they need to do to make this feel like a safe place to all, and not just continue in the path we’ve been heading in. Voices were heard this summer, but not loud enough. The protests have settled and the social media posts have dialed back, but that doesn’t mean the BLM fight is over and done with. Dear America, we have more that we can accomplish and overcome. So what are we waiting for? 

Janyia Cameron