Black lives matter today

Black lives have always mattered

Black lives will forever matter

 

I say this intentionally as a fact

Not as a belief

The matter is not up for debate

 

Black lives matter

And as a white man

my saying it does not make it so

This truth has always existed

in spite of myself

and my ancestors

 

Black lives matter

I say this distinctly

It is my responsibility to do so

Throughout history,

White men have granted rights to others

only after taking them first

Giving something taken is not progress

It is incremental

systematic

oppression

It has never been mine or anyone’s to give

It was never ours to take away

Equality should never be subject to force

Whether with a loaded gun

Or a loaded deck

Black lives matter

I say this out loud now

And as the lens through which I view the world

Glasses are required for seeing through

what is already written

To see truth through myriad filters

Meant to disguise

equivocate

suppress

and deny

 

As a white man, I have no right

to passively enjoy

that which was never mine

I do have a responsibility to stand for others

and truth

as an action

Standing in a way that acknowledges

the power of a black life

and all people of color

 

Distinctly different from pretending it matters

any more or less

because of my opinion

In my bubble

Watching the world burn

from the safety of my perch

 

The time for right aim is over

The time for right action is now

 

Black lives matter today

Black lives have always mattered

Black lives will forever matter

 

I say this intentionally as a fact

Not as a belief

The matter is not up for debate