Young Black & Brooklyn hosts "Death of a Nation: State of Emergency"

Monday night, I attended an open forum hosted by Young Black & Brooklyn titled "Death of a Nation: State of Emergency" to discuss a plan of action towards a Solution to this problem of injustice against people of color in this country. Young, Black & Brooklyn (YBB) is a collective of unapologetic young black professionals actively seeking to redefine what it means to be young, black and Brooklyn. I sat there listening to people speak the exact words and feelings I have on issues regarding us as if it were coming from my lips. We were in an environment where you could be vocal, frustrated, and passionate about our own struggles and people were listening.

We introduced ourselves (all 112 of us) and the discussion, led by YBB's Cheyenne Anthony began with this video: 

When asked for our thoughts, our responses were: 

"This video puts the blame on us. It gives people the right to say 'because he didn't do this...that's why they killed him.'"

"These particular people seem like they've personally been affected and believe that the victim could've done something differently to stay alive. It's sad"

"White people don't need instructions to stay alive. We do. The rights in this country do not apply to us because we are not seen as human."

While we were focused on the Solution, we frequently had to branch off and discuss the other areas of the Black experience that need improvement because in order to reach a solution, we had to acknowledge how densely rooted the problem is. 

One discussion that remained a trending topic throughout the night were our youth. We discussed our youth so repeatedly because we came to terms with the that we might not see the change we are working towards in our lifetime. It's not for us, it's for our children and their children and in order to prepare them for these changes they need us. We need to be mindful of the difference we can make in their lives.

We all came from different places and spaces and that room became a melting pot of avenues leading us toward the solution to the question:

"What are we going to do?"

All of our answers fell under three key ideas: Education, Movement, and Consistency. It was then that discussion turned into blueprint, our talents became tools, and ideas were becoming plans of action. 

This was just the first step on the journey to Justice. We understand that it wont be easy, and it wont happen quickly. But we are planning and organizing....

A change is coming. 

Thanks for reading!

Evelyn