“Another one!” “They just shot another unarmed black person.” Terrence Crutcher and Keith Lamont Scott were those unarmed black people.
Far too many times has this been the reality. Far too many times has there been injustice for these victims. Far too many times has there been movements that lacked the support to help make the necessary changes in society, but it doesn’t take an army to inspire support.
Something so simple and so relieving, as launching balloons into the sky, just might be the ember that sparks the flame in someone.
Friday afternoon, The National Society of Collegiate Scholars, NSCS, and The National Society of Leadership and Success, NSLS, held a balloon launch in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. After this past week’s events in Charlotte, Tulsa and Morgan State, the event seemed fitting to the campus community.
President of NSCS Joseanne Lopez, a senior sociology major with a minor in women’s and gender studies, said, “We have to do these things on a daily basis because they will not pay attention unless we do things in the masses…we have to do it all together. I wanted everyone to come out to show their support for the lives that we lost.”
With spoken word referencing fallen victims such as Alton Sterling before the release of the balloons, the circumstances of the event were put into perspective. A discussion about activities that college students can do to be apart of the movement besides protesting also took place.
Responses such as “support black business”, “educate ourselves” and a message as simple as love each other were among the solutions said by Morgan students.
After the fatal stabbing of Morgan student Marcus Edwards, another discussion about what Morgan students think about Black-on-Black crime.
Most thought it was a “myth” and used only to downplay the significance of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The students then marched with balloons in hand from the University student center to the academic quad with chants of “Say it loud, i’m black and i’m proud! and “Black Lives Matter!” led by senior speech communication major Chinedu Nwokeafor.
“How many times will you be pushed before you react? So if black lives matter, what are you planning to do about it?,” said Nwokeafor, who gave a speech before the release of the balloons.
President of NSLS, Marcus Bennett, junior sociology major with a pre law track, said, “I think this event really she light on black-on-black violence and violence from police. The notion that black people have no outrage about black-on-black violence, just white-on-black [violence] isn’t true.”
Balloons were then released in the academic quad, to symbolize the victims spirits finally being set free.
