When George Floyd was murdered and cried ‘I can’t breathe’

it wasn’t your fault

 

you didn’t kneel on his neck for eight minutes and forty-six seconds

you are a good person, you were horrified

you empathised with his community, deeply

 

but if you don’t speak out

if you don’t enunciate

if you don’t find your voice

no matter your inability to articulate the right words

then you become part of the problem

 

When Breonna Taylor was shot eight times as she was sleeping

it wasn’t your fault

 

you didn’t force entry into her apartment and unlawfully end her life

you are an open-minded individual, anti-racist, multicultural

you felt her pain and injustice

 

but if you don’t speak out

if you don’t declare

if you don’t offer your point of view

no matter how uneducated you may be on the subject 

then you may share the blame next time

 

When Ahmaud Arbery was killed while he was out jogging

it wasn’t your fault

 

you didn’t shoot an unarmed man because he looked like a burglary suspect

you are without prejudice, a tolerant human being

you couldn’t believe this could happen in today’s civilised world

 

but if you don’t speak out

if you don’t proclaim 

if you don’t express yourself on the issue

no matter how uncomfortable you feel

then your silence will speak louder than your words