#ProtestPic Courtesy of Sabrina Sara
Protest Attended - Ipswich, MA (June 7, 2020)
"Honestly over the past month or so with systemic racism being brought to the forefront, I have been very sad. I have also felt that it is not my place or the time to be expressing my personal anguish because:
(1) I am not perceived or treated as a person of color and
(2) I need to be channeling this sadness and anguish toward action and the greater good.
However, I am aware that it is also important (on a personal level) for me to acknowledge and not minimize/brush off the way I am feeling. When Ahmaud Arbery was shot, I remember sitting at my laptop while attempting to focus on the work in front of me and I just broke down in tears. I was having a really hard time with coming to terms that human beings could do that to another fellow human being because of his skin color. Though, this incident should not have "shocked me" because systemic racism and discrimination are centuries old, I had an extreme visceral reaction. Now directing my focus to Sunday's protest: I felt uplifted. I felt an insurgence of hope. I, and thousands of others, felt solidarity and strength. I felt that while this protest was just one of thousands of protests happening across the country, one act towards justice, on one day, for one period of time, that this was it - this is the beginning of a revolution. I have a hopeful perspective that this time is unlike any other time in history. It's only the beginning, but it's sure as hell not even close to over."
