Letter: #BlackLivesMatters needs to be vocalized

TO THE EDITOR:

Last Wednesday, Oct. 28th, I attended a talk by Patrisse Cullors — co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter at Duke. Cullors opened with two questions:

What have you done to save Black lives? What will you do?

The white people next to me hung their heads and admitted they hadn’t done much, and when Cullors led the crowd to chant, “Black Lives Matter!” they were quiet.

To my fellow non-Black allies (PoC and white people alike):

Y’all. Really?

You like Facebook statuses and favorite tweets with the hashtag.

You snap in agreement when you hear why “All Lives Matter” is a sorry excuse for derailing the conversation. So why do you hesitate to say those three words?

You admire the organizers who rallied against neo-Confederates. You supported the name Hurston Hall. But your guilty silence does nothing.

Many of you say you need to “figure out your role.” Great.

Here’s my suggestion: actually figure it out.

Find ways to challenge anti-Blackness in your own communities.

Talk to your families.

Bring your friends to rallies (but don’t take the megaphone).

As a start, say it out loud. You don’t have to be standing behind a microphone to be vocal.

Say it.

Black Lives Matter.

Mackenzie Kwok

Sophomore

American studies