Taking a Stand
Hundreds of surfers in our community came together in PB for the Paddle for Peace event. A morning full of love, unity, and strength.
PC: @unclemiiike on IG
It’s taken me a while to collect my thoughts with everything going on in the United States today.
And then I realized, that it’s better to take a stand and speak up, rather than to passively sit.
Because passively sitting is exactly what I’ve been doing over the years. That thanks to my privilege, I could be ignorant and choose to be blind to the hate that’s actively affecting many POC in our society today.
It wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago that I fully grasped what it meant to be priveleged.
That made me absolutely sick. I was completely overwhelmed with guilt, grief, and heartache. Guilt for being so unaware and choosing to actively ignore the systemic racism in our country. Grief for the deaths of so many whose lives were taken too early. Heartache knowing that there’s still people out there who have the capacity to hold so much hate in their hearts towards others… because of the color of their skin?
It’s time to do better.
I’ve already taken the stand to advocate for those without a voice. For our loved ones who have special needs. And yet, I never considered how race ties into the mix.
Did you know that half of people killed by police have a disability? In the article that I’ve linked, the authors
“argue that public discussion of police brutality should consider the intersection of disability, class and race in scrutinizing police use of force.”
Yes, there’s an issue with police brutality with blacks. And there’s also an intersection of race and disability that needs to be explored.
While I won’t get into the debate of police in this post, there needs to be change. Because if you’re a supporter of those who have a disability, I believe you get to take a stand and support black lives. Black lives matter. Black disabled lives matter. All black lives matter.
There’s still lots that I get to learn. And I’m committed to being part of the movement for change. And I encourage you do too.
Whether it’s participating at protests, peaceful protests, signing petitions, donating to organizations, buying from black business owners, there’s many ways you can take part in the movement.
And I acknowledge I may not get it right every time. And I’m open to feedback. I’m open to learning and growing and know how I get to do better.
I’m committed to leading with love, empowerment, and an open heart. To educate myself and share what I’ve learned, especially in the black disabled space.When we unite and take stand as a community, that’s how we create waves of change.
This change has been waiting for centuries. And it doesn’t get to wait anymore.