Black Lives Still Matter - Part 1

This blog was written as part of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Black Lives Matter program initiative. Learn more about the program and corresponding events here.

Every so often, I like to remind myself and others that Black lives still matter. I don't use this to fall in line with current trends, but it is very much a fact. Since the beginning of time, the lives of all people have mattered. Still, there have been incidents in the history of America where the criminal justice system has tried to prove otherwise when we see a lack of accountability around justice for Black people. Hence, I've got to be specific — Black lives matter. They mattered when our ancestors were brought to this country as slaves 400 years ago. They mattered in the Jim Crow South. They mattered during the Civil Rights movement, when Dr. King was assassinated, and they matter to the families and friends of the many Black individuals that have been killed at the hands of those who don't value Black lives. The rallying cry moved from "we shall overcome" to "Black lives matter," and today and every day I declare, and we declare, that Black lives matter.

It has been almost one year since George Floyd was killed by police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020, and the trial for his death is currently underway. The trauma of his killing is real. Amid last year’s rallying cries for justice for Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was killed at the hands of someone paid to protect and serve. There is a long list of Black people that have suffered this same fate at the hands of police, and it's sad to say, but justice has not been yielded in any instance involving Black lives.

Now, the world is eagerly watching to see if justice will be served the same way we watched the viral video of George Floyd’s death. In his final moments George Floyd called out that he "can't breathe" the same way in which Eric Garner did seven years prior. However, instead of being choked by an officer like Garner, he had the weight of an adult human on his neck. The compassion that should have been shown for Floyd in the final moments of his life was absent, and in the coming days and weeks as the trial for the man who killed him continues, I hope that justice is finally served.

George Floyd's life mattered — no matter what he did, it mattered. As in many other incidents involving unarmed Black people and the police, there is a video which shows the officer's lack of compassion for George Floyd’s life. However this time there is a trial, and while Derek Chauvin's defense attorney grasps for straws to free him, I hope that the jury uses their eyes and their heart to serve justice to the family of George Floyd and the many other Black lives that have faced the same circumstances. Because Black lives still matter.

Learn more about social justice, mass incarceration, antiracism and more with this Library curated booklist:

Social Justice Book Club Booklist

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This blog was written by De’Trice Fox, adult services librarian in the Job Help Center at Main Library.