Trying to write something meaningful and thoughtful without being trite or repetitive is daunting right now, but I’ll do my best. We are a website, dedicated to grassroots soccer, but we are made up of individuals, citizens of this country - remaining silent, in this moment, is not an option. -Dan

The events that happened in Minneapolis a week ago - the murder of George Floyd by a police officer and the ensuing unrest and demonstrations - have opened a wound that has been in the American system from our founding. At different times in our nation’s history, we have endorsed, enforced, ignored, and slapped at racial injustice to varying degrees. We have had moments of progress, the Civil War and the abolishment of slavery, the Civil Rights Act, and several Supreme Court cases that have struck down racist and discriminatory laws in parts of this country. But that drive to progress has been in fits and starts, leaving many generations of Black Americans to bide their time, suffer in the moment, and live off hope. And that reality, without a doubt, is WRONG.

Black Americans have fought in wars for this country, contributed to our economic success, filled our country’s museums with works of art, massively expanded our cannon of literature, theatre, and music, served in our government from local positions to the highest in the land - they are our brothers and sisters, our neighbors and friends - they ARE America.

For too long, Black lives have mattered less than white lives. In the end, that is the gap that has caused so many injustices in so many different facets of their daily lives. It has influenced where businesses have built infrastructure, which employees have been hired, and which loan applications are approved. It has justified a lack of funding for schools and social services, the practice of “redlining,” and purposeful destruction of thriving black business districts with selective highway construction. It has led to inequality in the justice system, from the laws that are written, to the overpolicing of Black neighborhoods, to Black incarceration rates that are unparalleled in the western world. And, of course, It has led to thousands of Black men and women losing their lives at the hands of white police officers, most of whom will never face a trial for their crimes.

We stand with the protestors that are in the streets now. We stand with them because they are protesting a system that is wrong and must change or be eliminated entirely. We know rioting and property damage may happen, but we recognize that 400 years of oppression can inspire significant rage. Buildings can be rebuilt. The Black dead can’t be revived. It is time to stand, as a country, and correct this situation. Black citizens deserve equal treatment under the law. Black children deserve the same opportunity as white children. Black votes deserve to count as much as every other vote. Those that kill Black citizens, police or not, must be held accountable and suffer the consequences of their actions. Black voices must be heard. It’s time to change.

Black Lives Matter.

- Protagonist Soccer

Dan Vaughn - Founder and Editor

Joshua Duder - Assistant Editor

Ryan Stallings - Founder and Staff Writer

John Howard-Fusco - Staff Writer

Thumbnail image courtesy of New York Times.