Veterans Standing With BLM.
The first time I stood up. The first time I went to a protest. The first time I organized a protest. All on the same day. A day I'll never forget.
A few days ago I made a post about how I could no longer sit back and not be active in this movement. Yes. It took me way too long. And I am sorry for that. Furthermore, I was afraid to post about being a veteran and standing up. I apologize for that too. I was afraid of what the veteran community might say in response, instead of standing up for what is right.
After today, I want to say how proud I am of my military brother and sisters. Veterans from upstate New York drove to DC to be a part of this protest. Veterans from across the country have been messaging me this week, asking about organization, who to contact, how to find people in their communities, what I am doing to organize a group here, how to donate, on and on and on. Veterans across this country are standing by our oath to support and defend the Constitution and the citizens of this country. All citizens. Not just privileged citizens. Not just white citizens. Not just rich citizens. ALL CITIZENS. And because of that, we cannot sit idly by and watch an entire population of individuals be singled out and treated differently for something as insignificant as a skin pigmentation difference.
We are all Americans. We all hold ownership to a piece of the flag that flies. And because of that, we all are to be treated fairly and justly. We are all to have the expectation of liberty and justice. I was so moved by the conversations with the people I met today. Bumping elbows, taking photos, discussing the issues that are at hand and how we can make it better. During conversations today, we learned more about each other. Discussed viewpoints so that we could all understand each other a little better. It. Was. Amazing.
But it can't stop here. We have a long way to November. We have to keep this fire alive. We have to keep this momentum going. If you are a veteran in the area, please visit r/ContinueToServe to find out about upcoming events. Tomorrow at noon, we will be meeting at the WWII memorial in honor of D-Day and marching to BLM Plaza to join the many that will uniting together and protesting for much needed change. Thank you so much to all of the veterans who showed up today! We are looking forward to a much bigger group tomorrow to stand with our fellow citizens, to remind everyone that we may no longer wear the uniform, but we still remember our oath. We will stand with the BLM movement and all of us, together, will usher in a new era for our future generations.
Many has said that 2020 has been a crazy year and they are right. But there is opportunity here for greatness. Out of the shadows of pain, may we find peace, solidarity, and equality for everyone. Much love and Semper Fi.