Unspoken Conversations

FOREWORD
THE PURSUIT OF RACIAL EQUALITY
THE INTERNATIONAL ACTIVIST MOVEMENT, BLACK LIVES MATTER, HAS
BECOME A PLATFORM OF FREE SPEECH DEDICATED TO THE PROMOTION
OF EQUALITY AND THE PROTESTING OF UNJUST PRACTICES IN THE
AMERICAN JUSTICE SYSTEM TOWARDS BLACK MEMBERS OF THE
AMERICAN CITIZENRY. THE BLM MOVEMENT WE KNOW TODAY IS A
DIRECT RESULT OF THE RACIALLY DRIVEN FATAL SHOOTING OF YOUNG
AFRICAN AMERICAN TEENAGER, TRAYVON MARTIN, AND THE VARIOUS
NATIONAL ANTHEM PROTESTS BEFORE NFL GAMES, ENGENDERED BY
COLIN KAEPERNICK, SERVE TO CALL TO ATTENTION THE MANY RACIST
CRIMES THAT OCCUR DAILY IN AMERICA.
HOWEVER, SUCH ACTIONS ARE NOT UNIQUE TO THE 21ST CENTURY.
IN 1968, TWO AMERICAN OLYMPIC SPRINTERS, TOMMIE SMITH AND
JOHN CARLOS, RAISED THEIR BLACK-GLOVED HANDS DURING THE
NATIONAL ANTHEM IN SILENT PROTEST DURING THEIR AWARD
CEREMONY FOR THEIR SUCCESS IN THE 200M RACE.
FOUR YEARS LATER, DURING THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN MUNICH, TWO
AMERICAN SPRINTERS, WAYNE COLLET AND VINCE MATTHEWS,
CONVERSED CASUALLY DURING THE ANTHEM IN PROTEST. BECAUSE OF
THIS, THEY WERE REMOVED FROM THE GAMES AND BANNED FROM
EVER PARTICIPATING IN ANOTHER OLYMPIC EVENT.
TODAY, THEIR MESSAGE IS CARRIED ON THROUGH THE KNEELING OF
FOOTBALL PLAYERS AND THE PROTESTS OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY
AND THEIR SUPPORTERS, BUT BECAUSE OF THE ACTIONS AND DISPLAYS
OF A MINORITY OF THE BLM PROTESTORS, NEWS OUTLETS AND
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS HAVE FED THEIR VIEWERS THE IDEA THAT
THESE MARCHES ARE FUELED BY HATRED AND RACISM, FURTHER
POLITICIZING AND POLARIZING THE AMERICAN CITIZENRY ON THE
TOPICS OF RACE AND EQUALITY.