As the number of cop killings increases and leaves more and more black lives in danger, the Black Student Organization continues to take matters into their own hands to make the student population of all races aware of what is going on in our country today. This week, the BSA Organization at Brenau made the campus stop and recognize the world’s issues by forming a peaceful walk throughout Brenau and the dining hall. Many people have been “sleeping” on or ignoring the issues at hand. Black lives being killed off by white lies. Cops lying to justify their kills of unarmed blacks across the country. At least four killings in the past week of black lives. The shocking part about each of these killings: the victims were unarmed.
Many may believe that these issues aren’t relevant to Brenau’s campus, but these killings are getting closer to home and are happening way too frequently. Over 100 unarmed black people have been killed in 2015. In only ten cases, the cops were convicted. Not only is that unacceptable; it is pretty sad. These issues are not just from last year; the killings continue to increase. If the bad cops continue to get away with the crimes they are committing they will continue to kill off innocent people.
The Black Student Association wants to inform Brenau’s campus that we should not and will not be silent until all races are treated equally in the eyes of law enforcers who are supposed to protect us. #SayTheirNames was the theme of the walk throughout the campus. Terrence Sterling, Terence Crutcher, and Keith Scott are the names of the most recent victims. They were acknowledged in the chant. Kenya Hunter led the students in all black by chanting the names of the victims killed in the trending cop killings. “We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains,” was the powerful message chanted by all. The demonstration was to make Brenau pause and think about the lives that have been lost. While we are living these carefree lives, there are people dealing with racism and hate on a daily basis. Peyton Edmond and Chyna Brooks had no problem bringing this issue up in their speeches. The demonstration was a great thing for the diverse campus to come together and stand for what is right. Not only did it attract black students but white, Mexican, and Asian students were also in attendance. So tell me…how can we be silent when we fear those who are supposed to suppress our fear? How are we still in a race war in this land of “equality”? Why are we controlled by the same chains that controlled us years ago? We must all come together. We will all need each other when it’s all said and done.