No Justice, No Peace in Isla Vista #BlackLivesMatter

Written on Saturday, May 30th, 2020

Today was protest day in Isla Vista for the #BlackLivesMatter movement. I put on my mask, made a sturdy cardboard sign, and as I wrote the words “#BlackLivesMatter” on the sign, I began trembling with tears. I struggled, thinking about all the Black people in my life and my community - my best friend, my bosses, my coworkers, my classmates, my professors, my peers. I struggled thinking about how they are feeling at this time. I struggled knowing that if I felt this way writing these words on this sign, that must have only been a taste of their entire life experience of being Black in America. Why is this even happening? I thought. There should be no fight, no protest, no demonstration to have to tell people that Black Lives Matter. Simply matter. 

As I firmly held my cardboard sign through Del Playa to Sands Beach, I thought about how this shouldn’t be happening in the first place. I thought about how we should not be grieving over the lives of others because of police brutality. I thought about how George Floyd should still be breathing right now. I thought about how tomorrow, another innocent Black life could be taken. I thought about how my best friend’s life could be next, taken without hesitation because of the White supremacy that has been ingrained from centuries of colonialism.

My best friend should not fear that she could lose her own life, the lives of her family, and the lives of her friends every single day. My best friend should not fear that her community is targeted endlessly because of their skin color. My best friend should not fear the police, who are meant to protect and enforce peace in our communities.

These are simply a few factors that affect my best friend and the Black community; as a non-Black person of color, I will never be able to truly understand the experiences of the Black community. However, it is my duty to educate myself and commit to understanding these systemic issues that harm and damage those I love and those that they love dearly. The Black community has to deal with these issues every single day - microaggressions, racial profiling, stereotypical biases, unfair workplace treatment, police brutality, people blatantly saying the n word without thinking twice about the use of their language, cultural appropriation from non-Black people of color, and generational trauma - just to name a few.  

Through our protest in the streets of Isla Vista, we did not encounter the police. I decided to leave my sign at the doorstep of the University police station after the protest to communicate my message beyond the civilians of the college town.

“Stop Killing Black People. No Justice, No Peace.”

These experiences should not be happening at all. I worry about the lives of my best friend and my Black peers every day. Because of that reason, I am protesting and fighting for their lives. Because not only do their lives matter, they are valued, appreciated, commemorated, celebrated, and loved. I will stand with the Black community, I will stand by the Black community, and I will always fight for the Black community to achieve racial justice.

Photo Credits to @Luviaa on Twitter, Original Tweet from MikeyVibe5