A Revolution
By: Jared Pratt
Tags: Systematic Oppression, 2020, Change, Racism, Revolution

These protests, are only the beginning of a revolution. Something that has the opportunity to not only change the next decades, but change generations to come. Through these riots, we see our true enemies. This is not a war of whites vs blacks, this is not a war of republicans vs democrats, this is a war of us vs them, us vs the system.

Regardless of political party, of race, of religion, we have the same enemy, the same oppressive system of government. In these times, we cannot see the future, but we can see the past. We see the L.A. riots, we see the 60’s and the turning point of revolution. We see the Revolutionary War, we see the Stonewall riots. We see what we were taught, but also not taught, in biased classrooms filled with biased textbooks.

The change comes from the system, this November, it is time for a change. Politics was not meant to be a career, it was meant to be a representation of the people. This ‘two party system’ is a way to divide us, to keep us blind from the truth. To keep us occupied while our rights are taken away from us. While teachers are making $40,000 a year to teach the new generation, Senators are making upwards of $150,000, yet teachers have a bigger impact. We have been taught to hate each other, to feel divided, red vs blue. I ask you to change your thoughts, to change this misconception of who the true adversary is.

We all bleed the same colors, we all operate on the same chemical formulas, so why can we not all love each other? We need to change the way the system operates from the ground up, we need to kick career politicians out of office, we need to bring fourth our generation, the generation of greatness and success, but more importantly, of love.

The world is falling apart, and this is not only an issue in the United States. This is an issue throughout the world, while we struggle, other countries struggle too. I want to remind you guys one more time of what it is we are fighting for, we are fighting for the end of systematic oppression, of listening to career politicians whose only goal is to divide us.

These riots can only be the beginning, because if we let them end here nothing will change. Racism is going to die, oppression is going to die, lies are going to die, and if not, we shall die trying. Our founding fathers fought for our freedom (I acknowledge the racism they had but ignore that for the sake of this argument), they fought for the idea that “All men are created equal”, and in this, we have the rights to pursue freedom and happiness.

Now it is our turn, our turn to be the next founding fathers. Our turn to be the ones who fight militarized police, who fight oppression, who fight a system that kills innocent people simply for the color of their skin. It is our turn to fight a system who gives us freedom, only to the extent it benefits their agendas. We are humans, we are not free. We are listening, obeying, and kneeling to a government who has militarized the people who are meant to keep us safe, who has taken away our freedom of speech and expression when we need it most. If they can take away our most basic human right, what is next? If they can hold us at gunpoint for fighting racism, what is next? Do we stand by and listen to this system, or are we going to be the generation that changes the world? We have the opportunity to change a system, and be the founding fathers of a new generation, a new system, where all people, regardless of skin, of religion, of sexual or romantic identities, are created equal.

We do not start and end with these riots. We do not start and end with the police. We end when we have the government listening to us, because they are meant to represent the people, to represent us. They will listen to us.