THIS TIME IT’S DIFFERENT
CTLST* MEDIA stands with the Movement for Black Lives
The events of recent days and weeks bring into sharp focus the systemic discrimination and oppression of Black people in America. The videos that surfaced of the murder of George Floyd, and Ahmaud Arbery, and the arrogance of white privilege on display by a white woman accosting Christian Cooper, a black birdwatcher, seem to have hit a nerve, across racial lines, across class and privilege, and with lightning speed across the entire world.
This time it’s different.
These videos have reinforced the ugly truth of modern-day racial inequality in America, and are undeniably validating the grievances and outrage leveled at law enforcement for decades, and at the system and interests it serves to protect.
This time it’s different.
Perhaps it is different because with the country in lockdown, and its citizens reliant almost exclusively on the internet and social media as a means to connect with the outside world, these images were inescapable.
Perhaps it is different because data validates what the black community has been experiencing all along and in realtime: that the virus disproportionally impacts communities of color. Not because of skin color or genetics. But because of systemic poverty and trauma.
Perhaps it is different because the pandemic has pulled back the cover that has cloaked the myth and the long-held beliefs that our systems and institutions are benevolent at their core, and serve the interests of all.
That they represent our shared values and beliefs and are built on the foundation of truths we once declared to be self-evident:
That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
This time it’s different.
Perhaps because the people we have voted into office to be the stewards of our country, and who have sworn to defend the constitution of the United States of America are blatantly abusing their power, are actively undermining the integrity of what we hold dear, shamelessly disseminating lies, exploiting our fears and our differences, and are fanning the flames of hate, exposing their lack of character, leadership, and moral fiber for all the world to see.
This time it’s different. It is time to take stock. To take sides. To stand up for what is just. To speak up. Being complacent or standing by in silence is being complicit.
We cannot take back the sins of our fathers. But we have a responsibility to right the wrongs of past generations and we will be held accountable for our own words and actions.
As CTLST* we offer a platform to share voices, to create dialogue, help change the narrative, and find solutions to address the challenges we face. We work to inspire collective and individual action to change the course of history.
This time is different.
It’s time to stand with WE THE PEOPLE. It’s time to stand up and speak up for Black lives.
WE SUPPORT WEEK OF ACTION IN SUPPORT OF BLACK LIVES
