I just celebrated my 33rd birthday yesterday, but I cannot find joy. Another black man was sentenced to death before he could ever stand before a judge. I cannot wrap my head around why black lives are not taken into account. Why are we always the target? A black man is murdered, but instead of talking about that, they will bring up his run-ins with the police. Does that mean he is not eligible for fair treatment by the police? Help me out because I am trying to find the reason we cannot have justice.
I think about my husband, my father, my brother and brother-in-law, male cousins, my nephews, and uncles leaving out of the safety of their homes, not knowing if today will be the day someone decides to make them their next kill. I pray every morning that they are alright, and they make it back home. This should not be the world that we live in. America is supposed to be the land of the free, right? Yeah right. We are not all free. If we can’t get the chance to plead our case before our lives are seized, then freedom is not for all. I am becoming more and more numb every time I see a black person murdered. This should not be life. It is so difficult to find happiness when sadness is all around us.
We have to fight—black lives matter. Please hear us when we say that we matter. We want the freedom that was promised to us. Allow us to live. We just want to matter too.
Ari Speaks Out 