United in
Strength I
t happened again. In the days after Memorial Day, the world watched George Floyd take his last breaths under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer. Protests ensued in Minnesota, here in Detroit and around the nation, punctuated by calls for justice for George, an end to police brutality – and to end policing altogether. As of this writing, parts of the country are literally burning. We’re indignant, we’re depressed, we’re frustrated, we’re confused, but mostly, we’re just tired. We asked writers, activists, politicians and Black mothers to try and put into words what they – and all of us – are feeling and thinking right now, from their unique perches. Though what happened to George Floyd is painfully familiar, we’ve been saying this one also somehow feels different. Only time will tell whether we’re romanticizing, whether the passion in our bellies will be doused by the next thing only to be reignited in six months when we’re forced to chant the name of yet another Black life lost. Or maybe, this time, enough was actually enough.
BLACdetroit.com • JUNE 2020 • BLAC 15
