By Hannah Tiller, Editor in Chief
On Thursday, June 4th, the New Canaan community gathered for a peaceful protest at Saxe Middle school in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The horrific deaths of black men and women at the hands of white police officers have recently come to light, such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s cases, encouraging citizens to rally for equality. But, in a town like New Canaan, where white privilege is prevalent and apparent, how effective can a BLM protest be?
As of July 1st, 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that 92.1% of New Canaan was white alone, whereas 1.5% was African American alone. Those statistics alone point out that out of our 1,000+ protestors, a great majority would be white. While some white communities claim “all lives matter,” there was a reason that this protest was not for that.
Do you really think that people in our town have gotten off with a warning for speeding for no reason? Meanwhile, all around America, black men and women are seen as threats even in their own homes (maybe even sleeping, like Aiyana Jones). It’s no coincidence ladies and gentlemen. The black community is the burning building we must put out. The analogy has been repeatedly used- yes, all buildings are important, but saving a burning one is needs to happen immediately.
So the importance of a Black Lives Matter movement stands. How does the protest in New Canaan impact this movement? I saw this protest as extremely powerful. The Niang family organized this protest in response to George Floyd’s death alongside the support of our town police department. Yes, the media has portrayed the horrific war between protestors and police men as violent, but in a town like New Canaan, the sheer respect for one another was inspiring. For me, it put into perspective the BLM protest as a whole- it is not one that victimizes all police officers, but rather calls for reform to prevent systematic racism. Seeing police officers kneel amongst the community, pray with them, and chant with them put them on a human level that our community could appreciate.
Moreover, the protestors themselves were so passionate in the cause that it did not matter who was chanting in support of the movement, but rather why. Social media is often the best way to reach young, impressionable people. With educational posts circulating, videos of police brutality, and resources to donate or sign petitions, our community has grown increasingly involved in the movement. Whether our white-privilege bubble kept us from this reality, or that we never spoke up until now, it appears the 2020 is the time for our town to take action. Just because we are not likely to be kneeled on to death by a police officer does not mean that we should not speak up for those who are. And let me tell you, people were ready to speak up.
Signs held by protestors said “Silence is unacceptable,” “A system cannot fail those it was never designed to protect,” and “All moms were called when George Floyd called for his momma.” They chanted with might; their passion was heard all the way down south avenue. The police chief marched with them. It was truly beautiful. I walked with my town, fist in the air. I tried to capture the beauty and power of this movement with my phone- though I know it will never amount to the feeling of participating again.
But let’s talk about why New Canaan is actually a great town for the Black Lives Matter movement. Forget that we are mainly white community, we already have recognized our passion to stand with the Black Lives Matter community. We have shown that we are ready to have conversations. We must take note of the opportunities we have as a privileged community to address issues such as police brutality and systemic racism. Not only can we donate to numerous causes or sign petitions (linked below), but we can grab the attention of lawmakers and call for reform. Maybe consider taking a day off from your usual latte to donate that money to a real cause.
And before you say that protests do not do anything, please face the facts. George Floyd’s murderer was moved from third degree murder to second degree murder. Louisville’s mayor suspended “no knock” warrants after Breonna Taylor’s murder. Confederate statues all across the nation have been removed. These are just some of many ways our nation’s voice has amounted to change. There is still much to do, but we know now that we have the ability to do something great with our voice (even if we have the advantage of white privilege).
Here are some resources you can educate yourself with, donate through, sign petitions through, and much more:
BLM petitions, text or call, donate
Split a donation to bail funds and organizers
All photos by Hannah Tiller.
