As a student who is a part of the Oakland University community, I am contacting you in regards to letting my voice be heard considering recent tragedies.

As a young African American woman, I can vouch for the black community when I say we are TIRED and FED UP with losing young black men and women to police brutality, gang violence, etc. Regardless of the situation, mothers and fathers are repeatedly losing their sons and daughters and society expects a band-aid to be slapped over the wound.

Not to mention the pain that is being felt when proper justice is not served. I feel that focus has been lost. No matter the race, no matter the reason, they are individuals who deserve justice. One can only fight so much, and in the end it seems to be for nothing. Peaceful protests ruined, tear gas and rubber bullets shot in the faces of protesters, protesters arrested for letting their voices be heard.

Why can’t black lives be fought for and justified like those who aren’t black and brown?

In order for us to be heard we have to advocate and flood social media and protest and riot, yet it’s still NOT ENOUGH. This problem didn’t just start in 2020. This all is a repeated cycle. There were people who fought in Civil Rights movements and died for our rights, that we basically still don’t have.

Those lives can not be brought back, but what we are asking is to be treated with respect just as those who don’t have the same color skin as we do. We wish to receive the same opportunities, the same advantages, etc without being discriminated FIRST and having to fight for what we deserve.

Most of all, we are asking for the killings and the brutality to stop. We are asking for those responsible to be found guilty and not let off the hook. We are asking for the law enforcement to stop dragging their feet when it comes to bringing justice to African Americans, and to simply stop killing us.

They love our culture, but they hate when we stick together and prove them wrong. Until the people with the power (society, Trump, etc) feel the need to make a change, there won’t be one.

This letter to the editor was submitted by Imari Williams. Letters to the editor can be submitted to [email protected].