William Beavers' Reflection on the 4/17 NAACP Bergen County Rally in Front of Bergen County Justice Center

Bergen County NAACP Chapter logo. Photo courtesy of Twitter. 

 

On Saturday, April 17, I attended a rally hosted by the NAACP Bergen County chapter. Numerous political figures, clergy, and students told statistics and personal stories about how people of color have been robbed of their humanity by brutal police and corrupt law figures for hundreds of years. They also encouraged me to go to City Council and make my voice heard about these issues. 

My mom, Reverend Valerie Johnson, sang "What's Going On? by Marvin Gaye with Mr. Reginald Pittman playing trumpet in the background. She talked about her being the daughter of black parents, a proud black mother, grandmother, teacher, and minister, and that cops need to stop killing her-our- people. Robin Gwack talked about people of Latino, Asian, and other races being killed or being attacked just for being themselves. Keilan and Wini Scott couldn't grieve the loss of Wini's brother in peace because 5 cops burst through the door and interrupted them. 

Derek Chauvin may have been convicted of his second-degree murder and manslaughter and third-degree murder charges for kneeling on George Floyd's neck, but that's not enough. Kim Potter resigning isn't going to change the fact that with her experience on the force, she should've known the difference between a Taser and a gun. And what about Mikayla Miller? They should've been more human towards her and talked her out of the potential stabbing; instead,they probably thought she was a criminal that deserved to die just because she was a black girl with a knife in her hand. When will humanity finally be allowed for people of color? 

I realize it will take overcoming the racism in my town's council before I can handle the national level. But just like when I lost my Dad (not by police brutality, by complications with his heart after bypass surgery), I'm not going to let my anger and grief be my identity. I will fight for my better life and world, but I will fight with love and peace towards my enemies, not become them. I suggest you all remember the good in those who were gone too soon, and remember that you're good people, too. Don't let false labels by corrupt authorities or other racist supremacists ruin your lives. You've got good in you, and I recommend you keep fighting to show it no matter how many times life knocks you down. Being non-white is not a crime. Don't let racism tell you that it is. Don't let racism win. Don't let anger win. Let peace and love win. It will be a long amount of work to improve our racial and political system on a local and global scale, but it will be worth it if you're not afraid of who you are, nor will you let someone else make you. It's time for change for people of color everywhere. And those who are white and don't believe in supremacy by any race or brutal, racist authority figures, join us! BLACK LIVES MATTER! ALL LIVES MATTER!