As we are informed of today’s verdict, guilty on all counts, we collectively breathe a sigh of relief. It is in these moments that we must also remind ourselves of the privilege it is to do so. In the 8 minutes and 43 seconds of a videotaped murder, we were made vastly aware of how little our lives mean. Still, we continue to say the words Black Lives Matter, in the face of a preponderance of evidence to the contrary. That this world believes otherwise.
This case cannot simply be just a case, it must be a precedent.
An acknowledgement that in the past 200+ years, only one person has received “justice.” It is also at this time that we must reexamine what the word “justice” entails, as we might be eager to say justice has been restored. Though, an isolated incident does not nearly begin to suffice for the countless lives that have been lost and will continue to be lost at the hands of a system created to do so.
During the reading of the verdict, another life was lost. Ma'khia Bryant, a 15 year old Black girl from Columbus, Ohio was murdered, shot four times in the chest by a white Columbus police officer. Ma'khia did “the right thing” in calling for help, yet she is killed. Her life mattered.
Today’s punitive carceral system perpetuates the same stigma that marginalizes communities like ours, and others who are in the long-standing fight for justice.
HIV activism is inherently political, as those impacted highest are also the ones who face the most violence at the hands of the state. As you breathe in, examine your existing privileges and how you might benefit from and uphold white supremacy. May the next breath we take be the oxygen that stokes the fire of a collective movement that no life matters until Black Lives Matter.
The carceral system is not the solution to carceral system.
The carceral system is not the solution to racism.
The carceral system is not the solution to HIV.
In solidarity,
The Black Lives Matter Coalition