To Whom It May Concern,

Humanity. It’s defined widely as benevolence, which some, then, refer to as kindheartedness. Personally, I like to think of humanity as promoting goodwill for the betterment of others.

We are in the midst of a polarizing time in society. On the whole, I could not be more pleased with the peaceful acts of protesting, complemented, valiantly, by global illustrations of solidarity.

But for every positive reaction, there’s an accompanying negative; Newton’s Third Law, essentially. You know, the whole “opposite reaction” notion. Or, the more I think about it, maybe you don’t know. Which would explain your routine, uninformed opinion on such an intolerable basis.

You see, there are things in this world that may have no effect on you, yet a life-changing effect on others. And I believe the true character of an individual rests on their response to such a reality. It’s what Frederick Douglass was for women’s suffrage, or the Freedom Riders for the Civil Rights Movement.

Though I get it, you want it all to just go away. It’s mentally fatiguing, constantly hearing about race and injustice, yeah? Well if hearing about it is anything comparable to living with it, then yeah, I can imagine it’s a bit inconvenient.

Unfortunately, injustice is a little less “Boy who cried wolf,” and a little more “Death via cop chokehold ruled homicide.. cop not indicted.” Injustice is why #BlackLivesMatter to the Caucasian grandmother marching through New York City, because “Injustice everywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” serves to be more than an Instagram decoration for her.

At the end of the day, I’ve learned that it all boils down to education. And often, those who know the least say the most. With that said, now — more than ever — is a pivotal time to educate yourself on the matter(s) of injustice. It’s why you have two ears and only one mouth: so you can listen twice as much as you talk.

Signed,

Sirelle