Brutality Across The World. We Aren't Alone.
The world watches as we take our fight against police brutality and overall the dehumanization of black people to the streets across the country. And as we do this, across the aisle-Nigeria, The Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Africa are facing their own terrors from the #EndSARS Nigerian turned global movement-the movement to abolish the federal police movement called The Special Anti-Robbery Squad,
the children of the Congo facing terroristic horror, brutality and trafficking,
and the gender based violence, the rise of femicide and the rape of women in South Africa creating the hashtag #AmINext after Uyinene Mrwetyana, a student at the University of Cape Town (UCT), was brutally raped and murdered on August 24th, 2019 by Luyanda Botha, a post office worker.
Brutality from police isn't a new trend or concept, it has been here and it will continue even with the onslaught of powerful celebrity voices and influences such as Rihanna and Beyoncé but to know that our black communities across the seas are suffering just as we are is heartbreaking, tragic and it honestly makes me angry. You should be angry too.
#EndSARS movement had initially began in 2017 when the Nigerian government formed the Special Anti-Robbery Squad but it had been going on for decades. They have abused their power, killed and hurt their citizens and even with COVID happening, they were hiding supplies and resources that citizen need the most.
The #Lekki shootings are just one prime example of the government not taking their citizens cries for justice serious. Youth across the country are taking a stand against government officials, letting them know that enough is enough. More information is @The Guardian website and other available news sources.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, children are taken and used as child soldiers. They are starved, beaten and brutalized on a daily basis. Human trafficking is one the leading causes of death across the world, even here at home where black women and girls are kidnapped and trafficked out of cities and states such as Georgia, Washington D.C, New York, Maryland, California and more. We are brutalized as we march into the streets, kidnapped, raped and tortured like Oluwatoyin Salau, 19.
South Africa is just one of the leading countries who deal with femicide on a daily basis, besides the U.S, El Salvador, Bangladesh and even the Sudan are countries who have it as well. Like Oluwatoyin, Uyinene was an innocent who lost her life to those who disregard black lives. She started a global march, a movement to end the femicide that kills women, black women daily. Am I next? My mom? My sister? My friends? It shouldn't even be a thought and yet it is as we step out into the world, hoping we can return home safely.
Our election is coming up and this isn't the time to be ignorant, blind or complacent to what's going on in this country. We've raised our voices over the past four years and we deserve leaders who will not only serve his citizens the right way, but gives us our freedom and justice and protect us like a leader is supposed to. The world is watching. We must do what is right and make a choice. Take a stand. Do better. #BlackLivesMatter