01/06/2020
On June 1st 2020 at Dam Square Amsterdam, the Solidarity protest against anti-black violence in the US and EU organized by Stop Blackface, Zwarte Piet is Racisme, Nederland Wordt Beter & Black Q***r & Trans Resistance Netherlands, had been held in order to show solidarity and support to the protesters in the U.S. and to highlight the ongoing fight against institutional racism within the Netherlands and the rest of Europe.
If you think the discussion about racism is one that shouldn't be started, you are part of the problem. If you appropriate black culture and don't speak up, you are part of the problem. If you partake in mocking the pain that black people feel towards the ongoing situations, you are part of the problem. If you don't "see color", you are part of the problem. If you think we are "overreacting", YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM.
Black people from all corners of the earth have faced discrimination for so long. As a black woman who has experienced racism first hand, seeing the different protests going on in different countries has moved me in ways I do not yet know how to properly put into words, but I do know that it has woken up something deep within. Racism isn’t just an American thing, it’s all over. We need to acknowledge that! Turning a blind eye or deeming it “tradition” does not mean it doesn’t exist within our society. Turning a blind eye to it makes you just as bad as the ones actively partaking in the act of being racist towards black people and other minorities that are affected by this.
The words that were spoken today left a big impression on a lot of people who were there to witness it, myself included. By taking part in the protests I feel like I am helping to bring about a change, no matter how small. I took some pictures today and I wanted to share them with you, to show you the power, support, and emotion towards the cause.
No Justice, No Peace! Use your voice, we need a change! Not just in the U.S.A, but all over.
Yes, we understand that all lives matter, but all lives won't truly matter until Black Lives Also Matter.
This is Amsterdam.