Shivley: A Now United Story

Black Lives Matter

I know it has taken me a while to continue updating the story, but it didn't feel right to do so and not focus on the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests happening in my country right now. 

I wanted to take a moment to discuss what's happening because some people might not know what the protests look like or the significance of them. There is systemic racism embedded deeply into American society. It has led to a disproportionate number of deaths in the black community time and time again. George Floyd was killed by a policeman simply for the color of his skin. His crime? A potentially forged $20 bill. Anger has been rising and there have been protests throughout the country, but often the media only shows one side of the protests. They don't show the peaceful protests that are happening every day. 

Things need to change. 

I think it's important to understand police brutality and systemic racism in your country and to have conversations with your community and your family. (Call out your racist relatives!) 

Personally I'm very very happy that members of Now United have used their platforms to speak on BLM and attend protests (s/o Noah, Shivani, and the others). It's not enough to simply post a black screen and acknowledge what happened; it's important to actively be an ally. So please sign petitions if you can and if you live in America (or wherever honestly) be aware of the views of the candidates representing you. Most importantly listen. Listen to the perspectives of black people and amplify their voices. Thank you all for reading this and it makes me happy that there were protests around the world. The global support is honestly the message of Now United too :)

Please take a moment to read this and understand this.