By Jalen M. Benoit
As a white male who is passionate about the Black Lives Matter movement, I’ve had the opportunity to attend a few peaceful protests in Hartford, Bristol, and Plainville recently. However, even after something catches my attention, I get back to my car and the question remains the same — “Now what?”
In Bristol, there was one sign in particular that caught my eye, held by a white woman. The sign read, “They said black lives matter. They never said only black lives matter. They know all lives matter. They just need our help with #BlackLivesMatter because black lives are in danger.”
Of course all lives matter and all lives have their own hardships, but, unless you live under a rock, you should now know that black lives are often not considered in this conversation. You should now know that black lives are vulnerable to prejudice, racism and violence towards them daily because you’ve seen video of it with your own eyes — on multiple occasions this year alone.
These protests allow for men, women and children of every age and color to gather with masks and signs and show their solidarity. On camera, these peaceful protests seem to be filled with people who see the problem and get that there needs to be a change. However, some people there don’t; some show up to listen and learn while others have voices that they would like to be heard.
Still, after all of this, it just seemed to me that protesting wasn’t enough — why did the conversation seem to be over once I reached my car? And what about those who can’t make it to a protest because of work or because they are at high-risk of contracting COVID-19? That’s when I saw a post that my aunt put up on social media that read:
“Some are posting on social media. Some are protesting in the streets. Some are donating silently. Some are educating themselves. Some are having tough conversations with friends and family. A revolution has many lanes – be kind to yourself and to others who are traveling in the same direction; just keep your foot on the gas.”
With this post, I began doing what most millennials do when they are looking for an immediate answer — I went to Google, and that’s where I found my “what.” Below are some ways for those of you who may not be able to make it to a protest but still want to help or just don’t feel like that is where you can make your impact.
- You can donate to a cause that needs funding.
- You can sign a petition — as a number of petitions are being created every day that you can add your name to in light of recent tragedies.
- You can use social media to not only show your solidarity and awareness of current issues but also to raise the awareness of your friends, families and other followers. You can also use social media to follow different organizations in order to find new information or to spread new information yourself.
- You can show your support for your local black community by supporting local black business owners
- You can show up to diversity meetings in town – – with the next one taking place at Rockwell Park on Wednesday, June 10th at 6:30 p.m. Please bring a chair, wear a mask, and make sure to abide by the other social distancing policies.
But the best way you can help out and continue to show your support:
- Stay informed and be open-minded — new ways to help are out there and will continue to arise. Ask how you can help. Do your research.
Maybe after all of this I’ll still have some questions, but in the meantime, I know that this is something I can do to help right now and what I can encourage you to do if you would like to help to.
Jalen Benoit is a member of the Bristol Central class of 2016 and a recent graduate of Franklin Pierce University with an education degree.