Young, Gifted & Black

Originally written on November 25, 2015

Young Black people in Chicago are amazing. They are brave, fierce, radical and loving. They continually show up and show out in solidarity with victims of police violence. Young Black people in Chicago are in the streets right now protesting the murder of Laquan McDonald by a police officer. As the mayor, CPD, media, and various other people blame Black victims for their own murders, attempt to police our response to the continued murder of our people, and tell us that we need to focus on “black on black crime”, young Black people are demanding that our communities be reinvested in using the $4 million/day the city spends on police, an adult trauma center on the south side to save Black lives, and Dante Servin, the cop who killed Rekia Boyd in 2012, to be fired. These amazing and beautiful people are the future of Chicago, and we need to continue loving, supporting and protecting them.  As I keep up with the protests happening right now, I pray for everyone’s safety and send love to all the young Black fighting for our lives right now.

When you feel really low
Yeah, there’s a great truth you should know
When you’re young, gifted and black
Your soul’s intact

-Young, Gifted & Black by Nina Simone