Summary

MaryRose, a mother and advocate for social justice, walks in memory of victims of racial violence and to call for change, emphasizing the Black Lives Matter movement.

Abstract

MaryRose, a resident of the Pacific Northwest and a mother, has taken to walking as a form of personal protest against racial injustice. She has walked specific distances to honor the lives of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor, all of whom were victims of racially motivated violence. Her walks are a call for change and a stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. As a mother, she is deeply affected by the loss of these individuals and the ongoing systemic racism that plagues society. She believes in the power of collective action and the importance of listening and beginning the journey towards change. Her walks serve as a physical manifestation of her commitment to social justice and her desire for a world where everyone can walk without fear, regardless of skin color.

Opinions

MaryRose is deeply moved by the unnecessary loss of life due to racial violence and the impact it has on the victims' families, particularly their mothers.
She feels a personal responsibility to take action against systemic racism and believes that walking in solidarity is a powerful way to invoke change.
The author emphasizes the importance of empathy, noting that the cries of victims like George Floyd resonate with mothers everywhere, transcending racial divides.
She is committed to the principle of treating others as one wishes to be treated and sees the Black Lives Matter movement as aligned with this value.
MaryRose calls for a world where people of all skin colors can live without fear, reflecting her belief in equity and justice for all.
She acknowledges that while her actions may seem small, they are part of a larger collective effort to achieve social change and justice.

I Walk For Change Because Black Lives Matter

My personal protest in the wake of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and too many to list.

A few weeks ago, I walked 2.23 miles.

I did so without fanfare to honor the memory of a young, black man named Ahmaud Arbery. He went jogging one evening in his neighborhood in Georgia, much like the quiet, sleepy neighborhood I walk in every evening with my partner walking next to me. He and I hold hands. As we walk, we may talk about our days or maybe not at all, but just listen to our footsteps hit the pavement below our feet.

We do not fear walking in our neighborhood will cause suspicion or alert our neighbors to caution. These notions never enter our minds. Ahmaud Arbery was not afforded the same tolerance.

Instead, he was gunned down by three white men who felt he was “suspicious” yet all he was guilty of was jogging.

I am a mother. When I read this story in the news, one thought circled round in my mind. Ahmaud never got to go home and have dinner, kiss his mom good-night, or tell her “I love you.” As I walked the 2.23 miles for Ahmaud, I also walked them for his mother.

I walked to focus on change.

Now, I march another 2.5 miles through a business district in the 60% white city I live in. This time it is in memory of a 46-year-old black man named George Floyd. The world watched, in real-time, as a white police officer knelt on George Floyd’s neck for over 8 minutes, slowly extinguishing his life. Yes, in real-time and real horror, the cry for his “mama” was loudly heard.

I am a mother. And just like when a child cries out “mama” from somewhere deep inside a store and all our collective heads turn to see if it is our child, we all turned towards George Floyd’s cry. We heard. We, as mothers, heard.

Until today, I did not know what to do with my heavy, heavy heart containing deep and heavy emotions. This brutal divide must end, there must be change.

I knew I could walk. My partner and I join others; black, brown, and white like us. We walk together, we chant, “No Justice, No Peace” together. When asked, “Say his name”, we reply “George Floyd in unison.

In unison. One voice. Devoid of color.

We kneel down on the cement sidewalk, taking a knee in silence for eight minutes. The time seems endless kneeling for that duration. A duration where there was every opportunity for that police officer to release his knee.

This thought races to the forefront of my mind. I simultaneously experience a surge of anger as well as a wave of grief. My eyes remain cast down and when I look up I see another demonstrator holding a home-made sign simply reading “ He cried Mama”.

When George Floyd cried out, mothers everywhere heard him. When Ahmaud Arbery did not come home, mother everywhere mourned. When Breanna Taylor’s life dreams of becoming a nurse were suddenly snuffed out, mothers everywhere grieved.

The list of brutality is far too long. It is not just made of names on paper but faces of people made of blood and bone and spirit, like me. Only their skin was darker than mine.

Their mothers hear, mourn, cry, and grieve for them, just like me.

I have not known what I can do. I sat with this and then today decided. I started with walking.

Today I march. Today I carry a sign which reads, “BLM”, the abbreviation for Black Lives Matter. Because my heart is heavy with images of black bodies being brutalized and murdered. My heart says, “Enough”. Because until every single life matters, there will be more marches. I walk today for change.

What can I do? I can begin. I can listen. These things I can do.

Photo courtesy of the author. The image is of author and her partner.

I walk 2.23 miles to invoke change, even if it is only for me. “Be the change you wish to see in the world” has been a guiding quote throughout my life. These words even hung in an 8x12 black, metal frame upon my office wall for a while, quietly reminding me, our actions and intentions carry merit.

It is the underlying principle and mantra in which I raised my kids. Right along with “treat others how you wish to be treated”, also known as the Golden Rule.

We are all familiar with Martin Luther King, Jr’s speech beginning, “I have a dream…”. To finish that sentence I would add, “for a world filled with equanimity”.

And to achieve this goal? To create this change? Today I begin by walking in solidarity with others. With every placement of my feet, I acknowledge I stand for change.

I may also add, “ that mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers everywhere, regardless of skin color, may walk in their neighborhoods peacefully, and without fear. The same as I do.

Here is a little more about me and what is important in my life.

MaryRose is a freelance writer living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She is a traveler, licensed massage therapist, a lifelong vegetarian, and most importantly a mother. She enjoys the mash-up of these that life brings and writes about them with insight, humor, and wit.

She is currently working on a memoir, reflecting on the highs and lows of motherhood as her oldest child came out as transgender. She is active in PFlag and works for social justice with the LGBTQ community.