Writing and Shootings and ... yeah

I cannot stay silent. Silence is assent.

Two new names are on this list. Add in the police officers shot in Dallas. Add in the protestors who were also shot (but thankfully, not killed).

This is not the way we should live. This is not what we should be. I fear for my students, for my children, for their friends, for their parents, because this touches everyone. This is why Black Lives Matter. This is why we cannot accept easy answers. This is why we have to dismantle the system, address racism, train our officers to do better and be better, and hold them accountable to a higher standard. This is why we must invest in inner-city neighborhoods instead of leaving them to rot. This is why we must examine hiring practices to ensure we aren't excluding minorities just because. This is why we must always strive to be better than who we are -- because who we are as a society kills people.

Join the ACLU. Join the NAACP (you don't have to be African-American, and if that makes you uncomfortable, think long and hard about why). Donate to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Get involved with your local city and community government and advocate for police oversight and training -- that's where it starts. Donate to The Trevor Project. Lift up the voices of the people who are affected by this daily. If your body can't participate, lend your money and your voice. Hold space for the people who can do more. Support is necessary to make this work -- be that support.

We cannot be silent. Silence is assent.