hashtag black lives matter this is a
consistent trend we often see on the
news and especially social media but do
we honestly understand what it means or
why we even say it I mean some of us
only say it when an unarmed black man is
shot and killed by the police
and another part of us has substituted
black lives matter with all lives matter
because we just don’t understand the
reason behind it but that’s why I’m here
today to explain to you the reasonings
behind this movement and why we say
black lives matter it all began in
February 2012 when George Zimmerman the
captain of his neighborhood watch party
reported a suspicious person in his
neighborhood he is then instructed to
remain in his vehicle and to wait some
until police arrive but instead
Zimmerman disregard sees instructions
and begins to follow 17 year old Trayvon
Martin
moments later neighbors report hearing a
gunshot the sound of that gunshot is
what killed 17 year old Trayvon Martin
in 2013 Zimmerman was acquitted in the
murdering of Trayvon Martin because it
was in self-defense regardless we
watched a man get away with murdering a
child and Trayvon isn’t the only person
who has a story like this in 2014
Tamir rice Tamir rice was shot and
killed by the police for playing with a
BB gun he was only 12 years old and just
like Trayvon and just like Tamir I am an
african-american teenager that could
have been me that could have been you or
anybody else that you may know in 2017
mapping police violence has collected
data for all the police killings that
has happened in that year exactly 1140
seven people were killed by the police
in 2017 25% of those were African
Americans although African Americans
only make up 13% of this country’s
population and only 1% of those all out
of all those killings only 1% of them
were convicted in the murdering of all
these people
and because of that people are becoming
so angry artists are artists like jay-z
and Beyonce and entertainers such as
Colin Kaepernick are speaking out about
these situation Colin Kaepernick’s taken
a movement has Chuck has shook this
country literally most people believe
that what he’s doing is very
disrespectful but you also have to
remember that we once believed that Rosa
Parks when she would not give up that
seat we also believe that that was very
disrespectful and in sports we’re taught
that when someone is hurt and injured we
take a knee when there’s a fallen
soldier on the battlefield we also take
a knee we are not trying to be
disrespectful by this it’s all means we
love our country we just want to make
things better so we’re doing this by
taking a stance well technically I said
but I mean you have to understand times
we take a knee because this country is
hurting we are injured because we know
that racism is still in existence today
and that is why we take a knee and a lot
of times it isn’t racism it’s just the
fact that a lot of us don’t know because
we grow up in these communities where we
don’t see a lot of diversity or we just
don’t understand for example in Flint
Michigan there’s a public health crisis
there’s been one since 2014
there has gonna let a seepage into their
water they can’t wash their hair they
can’t take showers and all of this
because of environmental racism yes
environmental racism is a day it’s when
you take a community of mostly a poor
community or minority community and put
all these pollutants and toxics toxins
into their community and or let’s take
it home for instance say oak wood oak
wood is a beautiful community we all can
agree to that
Oakland is beautiful right but grass is
so much greener on the other side if you
go down the street a little bit into
Dayton you see trash on the ground
there’s cigarette campaigns on every
store there’s corner stores everywhere
in Oakland you wouldn’t find
this is environmental racism so I
encourage everyone to just get informed
about what’s going on in our own
communities
you may be wondering like how does black
lives matter concern to me well a few
years ago Jonna Crawford was shot and
killed in the Beaver Creek Walmart that
could have been you that could have been
me you could have not you probably know
John Crockett yourself this is happening
in our own backyard
we just need to become more aware about
it and I know you may be wondering well
all lives matter yes all lives matter
well they’re at least they’re supposed
to matter but if all lives matter women
still wouldn’t be marching for their
rights
dreamers wouldn’t have to fight for
their right to be in this country and I
wouldn’t have to stand here and say
black lives matter I’m not here to
change anyone’s mind I’m just here to
educate you and hope that you can take
something home with you in order for us
to keep moving forward
we can’t keep taking steps backwards
thank you [Applause]
consistent trend we often see on the
news and especially social media but do
we honestly understand what it means or
why we even say it I mean some of us
only say it when an unarmed black man is
shot and killed by the police
and another part of us has substituted
black lives matter with all lives matter
because we just don’t understand the
reason behind it but that’s why I’m here
today to explain to you the reasonings
behind this movement and why we say
black lives matter it all began in
February 2012 when George Zimmerman the
captain of his neighborhood watch party
reported a suspicious person in his
neighborhood he is then instructed to
remain in his vehicle and to wait some
until police arrive but instead
Zimmerman disregard sees instructions
and begins to follow 17 year old Trayvon
Martin
moments later neighbors report hearing a
gunshot the sound of that gunshot is
what killed 17 year old Trayvon Martin
in 2013 Zimmerman was acquitted in the
murdering of Trayvon Martin because it
was in self-defense regardless we
watched a man get away with murdering a
child and Trayvon isn’t the only person
who has a story like this in 2014
Tamir rice Tamir rice was shot and
killed by the police for playing with a
BB gun he was only 12 years old and just
like Trayvon and just like Tamir I am an
african-american teenager that could
have been me that could have been you or
anybody else that you may know in 2017
mapping police violence has collected
data for all the police killings that
has happened in that year exactly 1140
seven people were killed by the police
in 2017 25% of those were African
Americans although African Americans
only make up 13% of this country’s
population and only 1% of those all out
of all those killings only 1% of them
were convicted in the murdering of all
these people
and because of that people are becoming
so angry artists are artists like jay-z
and Beyonce and entertainers such as
Colin Kaepernick are speaking out about
these situation Colin Kaepernick’s taken
a movement has Chuck has shook this
country literally most people believe
that what he’s doing is very
disrespectful but you also have to
remember that we once believed that Rosa
Parks when she would not give up that
seat we also believe that that was very
disrespectful and in sports we’re taught
that when someone is hurt and injured we
take a knee when there’s a fallen
soldier on the battlefield we also take
a knee we are not trying to be
disrespectful by this it’s all means we
love our country we just want to make
things better so we’re doing this by
taking a stance well technically I said
but I mean you have to understand times
we take a knee because this country is
hurting we are injured because we know
that racism is still in existence today
and that is why we take a knee and a lot
of times it isn’t racism it’s just the
fact that a lot of us don’t know because
we grow up in these communities where we
don’t see a lot of diversity or we just
don’t understand for example in Flint
Michigan there’s a public health crisis
there’s been one since 2014
there has gonna let a seepage into their
water they can’t wash their hair they
can’t take showers and all of this
because of environmental racism yes
environmental racism is a day it’s when
you take a community of mostly a poor
community or minority community and put
all these pollutants and toxics toxins
into their community and or let’s take
it home for instance say oak wood oak
wood is a beautiful community we all can
agree to that
Oakland is beautiful right but grass is
so much greener on the other side if you
go down the street a little bit into
Dayton you see trash on the ground
there’s cigarette campaigns on every
store there’s corner stores everywhere
in Oakland you wouldn’t find
this is environmental racism so I
encourage everyone to just get informed
about what’s going on in our own
communities
you may be wondering like how does black
lives matter concern to me well a few
years ago Jonna Crawford was shot and
killed in the Beaver Creek Walmart that
could have been you that could have been
me you could have not you probably know
John Crockett yourself this is happening
in our own backyard
we just need to become more aware about
it and I know you may be wondering well
all lives matter yes all lives matter
well they’re at least they’re supposed
to matter but if all lives matter women
still wouldn’t be marching for their
rights
dreamers wouldn’t have to fight for
their right to be in this country and I
wouldn’t have to stand here and say
black lives matter I’m not here to
change anyone’s mind I’m just here to
educate you and hope that you can take
something home with you in order for us
to keep moving forward
we can’t keep taking steps backwards
thank you [Applause]
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