Speaking Up For #BLM 💜
by
Marsha Night
Credit: WebMD
I think we can all agree that the past few months have been absolutely soul destroying for billions of people around the world with how fast and deadly the Corona Virus has been sweeping it. People are losing their jobs, their livelihoods, or working from in isolation; and if not they are going to work facing the high possibility that they will contract the virus trying to protect others from it. The worst part about this is that people are dying. People who are fit and healthy, people who have chronic conditions, people who have immunity issues, the elderly and children.
This is a pandemic that I have never, and I'm sure many of you have never seen in your lifetime and I have to admit it... I'm terrified.
That was the start of 2020. What transpired after I find to be even more deadly and sinister than Covid-19.
I was at work when my phone started to ping with news about a man who had died whilst in police custody in America. I absolutely detest reading things like this because it gives me severe anxiety and can launch me into some insane panic attacks but I wanted to know why? Why did someone die when in the custody of people we are supposed to feel safe with? People who are given the responsibility of upholding law and justice. Were they in an accident and hurt? Were they violent and died as a result of some kind of altercation with the police?
My mind was going all kinds of places until I was able to find a video of the actual encounter, not all of it I might add but just enough to finally realise what had actually happened. The police had a call about a man who had allegedly used counterfeit money to pay for a pack of cigarettes, the police came out to investigate and stopped Mr George Floyd. What happened after that was something which will be imprinted into my memory bank and I will never ever forget it.
One of the police officers, Derek Chauvin decided that it was his right to have Mr Floyd laid on the ground whilst he purposefully used his full body weight to lean his knee into Mr Floyds neck knowing full well (it really isn't rocket science) that it would cause Mr Floyds airways to narrow and for it to become increasingly difficult for him to take in the required amount of oxygen needed, without causing severe discomfort and potential medical complications.
The most terrifying part of this from my view of what I could see was the fact that Mr Floyd was in no way causing any need for the officer to use that kind of force, he was not lashing out, he was not acting in any way that would require any act of self defence. What he was doing however was stating a fact; "I cant breathe".
This was repeated numerous times, alongside "Please" - This was a man asking for help from people who are supposed to uphold the law. Derek Chauvin and the other officers in the vicinity chose to ignore the mans pleas and cries for help, for 9 minutes.
George Floyd died that day.
The cause of death was listed as “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement sub dual, restraint and neck compression,” according to the official information from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.
"[Floyd] experienced a cardiopulmonary arrest while being restrained by law enforcement officer(s),” it determined.
(source: people.com)
(source: people.com)
I know what you are thinking, "This is terrible, the poor man, this shouldn't ever happen", ”this has shocked and hurt me” etc etc. But this is actually normal and has been happening for hundreds of years, never changing and still deemed OK in some respects to this very day.
For Black people that is.
I'm not going to get into the entire history of why this has become normality for the black community as It would take all the years I have left on this earth, and then some. What I do suggest is that you educate yourself, read history books, news articles etc but most importantly speak to your black friends - they can educate you so much more than the media can or ever will.
There have been protests and movements in the past with regards to the rights of black people but Mr Floyds death sparked a global outrage that in my short 32 years on earth I've not seen this much momentum take place before. It is the only positive thing that I’ve witnessed arise out of such a diabolical situation.
It started with a call for justice on behalf of not only Mr Floyd, but other black people who have been killed whilst in police custody for seemingly trivial reasons or for no reason at all.
Derek Chauvin and the 3 other officers Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao were initially fired from the Minneapolis police force but after public pleas and an initial charge of third degree murder with second degree manslaughter, the charge was finally raised to second degree murder for Derek Chauvin and aiding and abetting second degree murder/manslaughter for the other 3 officers.
After this surprising and seeming "justice being served", the focus turned back onto something that should have always been apparent and true - that Black Lives Matter.
It was amazing to see this catch fire, from the very vocal social media postings around the world, the media (of all people) reporting seriously on the matters at hand to the demonstrations and protests in all 50 states of America and around the globe.
Celebrities, influencers and people in the public eye started to come forward in support of the now spreading #BlackLivesMatter movement, using their platforms and power to speak up and out for black people, to help give them a bigger voice that for centuries has been ignored or stifled out by force and other means. A voice that we all should have always had.
Credit: @kenslerb - Twitter
Credit: @JohnBoyega - Twitter
Credit: Now This News
Numerous charities and donation pools were opened up and shared extensively through social media networks, emails, text, you name it - they shared it! Money (and lots of it!) had been donated from all around the world from numerous organisations, celebrities, businesses and the general public to help such a worthy cause sparking some faith in humanity that quite frankly, I've not had for a while.
Credit: @kthfiltrs - Collage made for @BTSRadioUK
Links to donations and petitions can be found via the following link: blacklivesmatters.carrd
Then, on Twittersphere seemingly out of nowhere Variety Magazine released an exclusive piece reporting:
"After K-pop titans BTS stated their solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter this week, declaring “we stand together” against racial discrimination, the group and its Korean record label are making a further commitment: BTS and Big Hit Entertainment have donated $1 million to Black Lives Matter, a rep for Big Hit confirms to Variety.
The donation was transferred earlier this week, with Black Lives Matter confirming receipt to Big Hit on Friday. BTS and Big Hit are not expected to comment on the donation; contacted by Variety, Kailee Scales, managing director for Black Lives Matter said:
“Black people all over the world are in pain at this moment from the trauma of centuries of oppression. We are moved by the generosity of BTS and allies all over the world who stand in solidarity in the fight for Black lives.”
(source: Variety)
(source: Variety)
I just thought this was such a beautiful moment for ARMYs from all walks of life, to have the artist that they have spent time listening to their truthful and inspiring music, protecting and supporting them to be reciprocated in such a wonderful way by standing with them, speaking with them and supporting them.
Credit: @BTS_twt - Twitter
The BTS ARMY and BTS themselves were already petitioning and donating prior to the Variety article and the Tweet from BTS being published for numerous charities including UNICEF, schools, hospitals and most recently the COVID Relief Fund alongside Black Lives Matter, but as soon as the news of the $1 Million donation had sunk in, BTS ARMY decided that they needed to help more in any way they could. This is when ARMYs own charitable project powerhouse One In An Army was called upon.
"ARMY joined the BLM movement pretty much right away when it started going on social media. Because it's more of a movement than something charity related, we didn't engage right away. ARMY were keeping up just fine by themselves, but after a while we got a lot of requests, so we decided to start looking for organisations that were helping and came upon a google doc that was very extensive and also included other things, so we decided to share that since it seemed to be good at updating itself. Later an ARMY thought there was too much information and they didn't know to which places their money would be safely donated, so they asked us to make a specific list. which we agreed on. And the Carrd was created. One of our members found a website that gave the donors the opportunity to split their donations, and since we'd seen ARMYs wonder where to best put their money as well, we thought this was a great opportunity to kill two bird with one stone, since practically all non profits we had found were available on the site.The split donations had done REALLY well, compared what we usually got through our own campaigns, about 50k. Then.... BTS's donation was revealed and ARMY said they wanted to match it (I swear it was a joke at first but then the fandom figured... why not?)"
Credit: OneInAnARMY - Twitter
"People started reaching out to us to start a Paypal pool, but since we don't handle money we said that the split donations were the only thing we could offer, since those donations were trackable by us. And off #Matchthemillion went! We've been taking shifts and everyone stealing time wherever we could. At one time we were 4 people on the account trying to take care of all the mentions and DMs and everything!"
ARMY from all over the world and others started to donate at a exponential rate (35,609 donations to be exact!) and in just under 24 hours over $1 Million ($1,026,531) was raised for #BlackLivesMatter.
Credit: @btsworldwider - Twitter
You can find more information about OIAA at their website: www.oneinanarmy.org
And you can contact them via Twitter: @OneInAnARMY
As this article goes to press, BTS ARMY are looking to double up their $1 Million and have continued donating via btsarmyxblm.carrd using the tag #2MforBLM.
I am very proud to be part of the BTS ARMY and have found that this collective and passionate effort to support the black community and other people has opened up some honest, hard hitting yet beautiful conversations. During those conversations, I asked people how they feel about The Black Lives Matter Movement and BTS/ARMYs donations with an aim to understand and educate myself. Here are a few comments:-
"At first when I heard about BTS donating money I felt a bit awkward because I know that there were many members of ARMY were disappointed in BTS and were trying holding them to account for not responding to the issues that were going on in the US and unfortunately a minority to me were going about it the wrong way by being a bit hostile in their approach. It rubbed me the wrong way as we didn’t know whether or not the boys had already donated in secret and I was worried that they’d be labelled as “jumping on the bandwagon” when they did.
I was completely taken aback when I saw how big of a donation they made that I had to double check the that I was reading it correctly. Not only did they make a donation but they made a massive statement with it as well because now many other celebrities as a result are donating a lot more money to the Black Lives Matter movement as a result. The thing that I love mostly about the relationship between BTS and ARMY is that we push each other to become better people so it was no shock that the match a million campaign came about because that’s just what we do and it makes me proud. Whatever your motivations are regarding the campaign, whether it is to support BTS, to help black people and allies during this time, both or for a completely different reason. I just want you guys to know that as a black woman I truly appreciate the efforts everyone has been going to these past few weeks. Unfortunately it is not often that we are considered worthy enough to support in certain situations so I thank you but also urge you to keep doing what you are doing and keep researching if needs be. We may look back on this as a key moment in history and you will be able to look back and say I was a part of big change, no matter how small or big your role was - you showed up and contributed. You’ve made a difference, so don’t let others tell you otherwise as I have seen on countless of occasions where ARMY and BTS have made a difference in this world. It doesn’t matter if the media doesn’t cover it or if other fandoms don’t want to accept the goodness you’re putting into this world. Keep supporting one another and try to hear each other out, no matter what the differences are, that’s how we learn and grow as humans." @Ono_Ovien - Onomey
"At first when I heard about BTS donating money I felt a bit awkward because I know that there were many members of ARMY were disappointed in BTS and were trying holding them to account for not responding to the issues that were going on in the US and unfortunately a minority to me were going about it the wrong way by being a bit hostile in their approach. It rubbed me the wrong way as we didn’t know whether or not the boys had already donated in secret and I was worried that they’d be labelled as “jumping on the bandwagon” when they did.
I was completely taken aback when I saw how big of a donation they made that I had to double check the that I was reading it correctly. Not only did they make a donation but they made a massive statement with it as well because now many other celebrities as a result are donating a lot more money to the Black Lives Matter movement as a result. The thing that I love mostly about the relationship between BTS and ARMY is that we push each other to become better people so it was no shock that the match a million campaign came about because that’s just what we do and it makes me proud. Whatever your motivations are regarding the campaign, whether it is to support BTS, to help black people and allies during this time, both or for a completely different reason. I just want you guys to know that as a black woman I truly appreciate the efforts everyone has been going to these past few weeks. Unfortunately it is not often that we are considered worthy enough to support in certain situations so I thank you but also urge you to keep doing what you are doing and keep researching if needs be. We may look back on this as a key moment in history and you will be able to look back and say I was a part of big change, no matter how small or big your role was - you showed up and contributed. You’ve made a difference, so don’t let others tell you otherwise as I have seen on countless of occasions where ARMY and BTS have made a difference in this world. It doesn’t matter if the media doesn’t cover it or if other fandoms don’t want to accept the goodness you’re putting into this world. Keep supporting one another and try to hear each other out, no matter what the differences are, that’s how we learn and grow as humans." @Ono_Ovien - Onomey
"From so many years of seeing ARMY mocked, it was wonderful to see us all come together
for a worthy cause; there was a sense of unity and hope that I last felt at BangBangCon.
These 24 hours displayed such solidarity with the black community, and it was incredible to
see everyone encourage each other to make donations, no matter how big or small. We
used our platform as such a large community of millions of people, to do something that will
help millions of others." @kthfiltrs - Charlie.
"What happened it was the last straw. This is not a trend it is a movement.We all are tired of the racism & the attacks that happen to black people on a daily basis; they can’t even go for a run, grocery shopping or even sleep in their own house as they live in fear of what might happen...
I would love to see changes, of course takes time but people need to be aware what it is actually happening in the US and around the world...they need to listen and open their eyes. I can say that I feel so proud to be an ARMY; I was not expecting any messages/tweets about #BlackLivesMatter from BTS as even though it is a worldwide problem, we don’t know what situation they are in with their contract or anything.I didn’t like people being pushy towards them to make an statement and a donation...they have always donated and we never knew until some months after from a 3rd party..
I was really proud when they did though. I have black ARMY friends and they have told me they feel emotional and supported.
I was so surprised when we knew about their donations & even more surprised when ARMY as a fandom came together for an amazing cause." @_imsory - Sory.
"The power of a fandom has helped raise money for a social issue that has affected me so I can't help but feel so happy. Being an ARMY as well as black , you realise how multicultural the fandom is so to see that others so quickly and willingly donated made me feel as though I wasn’t alone as a black person especially in this fandom.No space is perfect; there will be bigots in every corner of society and that includes fandom. However, I feel like non-black people whom I do share a space with have become allies I never thought I’d have. As for BTS, I was honestly stunned they’d donated so much. The most shocking thing though may not have been their statement on twitter or their donation, but their power to influence ARMY to actively give back and of their own accord. I hope the momentum this fundraising campaign has contributed to keeps going and we can see real change in the world." @nj_chouette - Louise
"What happened it was the last straw. This is not a trend it is a movement.We all are tired of the racism & the attacks that happen to black people on a daily basis; they can’t even go for a run, grocery shopping or even sleep in their own house as they live in fear of what might happen...
I would love to see changes, of course takes time but people need to be aware what it is actually happening in the US and around the world...they need to listen and open their eyes. I can say that I feel so proud to be an ARMY; I was not expecting any messages/tweets about #BlackLivesMatter from BTS as even though it is a worldwide problem, we don’t know what situation they are in with their contract or anything.I didn’t like people being pushy towards them to make an statement and a donation...they have always donated and we never knew until some months after from a 3rd party..
I was really proud when they did though. I have black ARMY friends and they have told me they feel emotional and supported.
I was so surprised when we knew about their donations & even more surprised when ARMY as a fandom came together for an amazing cause." @_imsory - Sory.
"The power of a fandom has helped raise money for a social issue that has affected me so I can't help but feel so happy. Being an ARMY as well as black , you realise how multicultural the fandom is so to see that others so quickly and willingly donated made me feel as though I wasn’t alone as a black person especially in this fandom.No space is perfect; there will be bigots in every corner of society and that includes fandom. However, I feel like non-black people whom I do share a space with have become allies I never thought I’d have. As for BTS, I was honestly stunned they’d donated so much. The most shocking thing though may not have been their statement on twitter or their donation, but their power to influence ARMY to actively give back and of their own accord. I hope the momentum this fundraising campaign has contributed to keeps going and we can see real change in the world." @nj_chouette - Louise
All the team @BTSRadioUK hope that this movement becomes normality and does not fade out. We have lost too many of the black community and too many years of humanity to racism, brutality and ignorance.
All lives cannot matter until black lives matter.
All lives cannot matter until black lives matter.
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