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Friends Emma Pedroza and Carla Rodriguez organised a Black Lives Matter protest in Lakewood, California. They very kindly took the time to be interviewed about their efforts, the societal reforms they strive for, and the media's presentation of the protests. Learn more about governmental responses, the nature of the protests, and different experiences of racism. Interview conducted by Elizabeth Bratton.
Carla Rodriguez
Carla made the decision to protest, due to being "angry about the injustices that are taking place around the world". She demonstrated her support for the cause by marching with other activists, and listening to their stories. Carla believes the Black Lives Matter movement is a "fight for equality", which strives to provide basic human rights for everyone, and ensure "no-one is dying because of the colour of their skin". The young advocate "[has] always been aware of the systemic racism in America", but now feels she is "old enough to do something about it". Summarising her determination to contribute, Carla stated: "I am tired of innocent Black people dying."
Carla continued to explain: "Personally, what I gained from [protesting] is confidence that, if I don’t agree with something, I can stand up to it and I can advocate for change no matter how young I am. She described the public's response as "beautiful", as the protesters were joined with many young people - this show of support provided her with "hope for the future generations".
In terms of the movement's aims, Carla wants to see educational reform, specifically in schools' curricula, as she believes students are not always taught about the harm caused by prominent historical figures . She continues, "In regards to every city outside of my own, I would like to see defunding of the police in order to evenly distribute costs to community programmes, hospitals, housing, schools, and so much more. I want to abolish a system which acts on racism and preys on innocent people."
Carla believes the Black Lives Matter movement is particularly important in her country, "If the US is the “land of opportunity”, it should apply to everyone; race should not be an obstacle. Black people should not fear for their lives everyday." She expands on this point: "The land of the free needs to be free for everyone, and people made to protect the communities have to stop abusing their badge. They need to be [held] accountable."
Regarding the future of the movement. "The Black Lives Matter movement will not end until there is justice for all. People will continue to fight and advocate for change. I hope in the future fellow members of the movement will get jobs as government/ political officials in order to make direct change." Carla believes that "a lot" of the current governmental officials disagree with Black Lives Matter, as they actually agree with the concept of white supremacy. She is also critical of the authority figures which are "fake allies", who "see the movement as a photo opportunity, without meeting our demands." She hopes there are some people in power who genuinely do stand with the movement, and use their power to instigate change.
There has been much controversy surrounding the media's portrayal of the protests, and Carla does not think the depiction has been "fair", as reporters have "mainly captured violent protests, which usually got out of hand because of law enforcement." She believes there have been many "peaceful protests" that did not attract the attention they deserved. Emma also notes that, across the world, protests are ongoing - months after George Floyd's killing - but they are rarely being given airtime.
Speaking of her own experiences with racism, Carla recalls: "Growing up in a predominantly black and hispanic neighborhood, I have seen police racially profiling many members of the community. Every male in my family has been racially profiled at least one time in their life. Then moving to a predominantly white neighbourhood I could see the difference in schools and how the state provides less for minorities."
Emma Pedroza
Emma "made the decision to protest, because the racial injustice throughout America is cruel". She and other young people wanted to bring about change, and therefore organised a demonstration at a local park. To her, the movement should provide equality to "every person, every race, every gender, every colour", meaning everybody gets the freedom "to be their own person", without being profiled.
Those opposed to the movement sometimes query why there is an especial focus on one race. Emma explains: "Black lives are the centre of this movement. because they have been suffering for centuries", followed by: "they deserve the justice of living life without the pain and fear of being killed."
Emma, like Clara, described the protest as "beautiful". After the demonstration, "it felt almost like we were invincible. It was a great feeling of strength." Quickly, the event became common knowledge, as the mayor spoke at the protest, and it was publicised in the local newspaper.
"I gained so many things from that day," Emma concluded. "I still learn more today too. I realised that you don’t need to be rich, or known, or have friends, or need anything but yourself, and maybe a few flyers. People who care as much as you do will show up, and fight with you, and that’s all that matters. The amount of people doesn’t matter; it’s the strength held in between each person."
One day, Emma hopes that everyone will "constantly [be] spreading awareness", through a range of means, "to their kids, to their families, to their friends, to everyone." She proceeds to describe her fellow protesters as "amazing, kind, and sweet for helping us throughout the day", as they were "clearly passionate" about the issue at hand. However, there is still a long way to go, as Carla still longs for the day that Black people "can walk down the street, without the fear of getting pulled over or arrested based on the colour of their skin." She aspires to have a society where Black people "can feel safe in their own home", and that "those who are racist will learn to love everyone equally."
Fortunately, in LA, "everyone is quite an activist." However, Emma shares the view that it is "ridiculous" that, in a country which prides itself in freedom, people of colour should have their rights stripped away from them. She thinks Black lives still need to be "more voiced and [more] heard", explaining that activists, including herself, "will continue to fight" until serious reform takes place. Like Emma, she hopes today's activists "grow to become a big part of society, [which] will better us each day."
Regarding the government's response, Emma thinks "officials are trying to understand" the movement, but "aren't helping those who need it." Moving onto the media's presentation, she explains: "There are a lot of uncovered stories," as reporters "portray us as the bad and uncivilised teens trying to start riots. They call us animals and stupid for trying to change this corrupt system!" She believes that the media fail to capture the peaceful side of the protests, the positive impact they have on people's lives, and the new laws which have been created as a result of activism.
Emma speaks of her encounters with prejudice: "As a Mexican, I was told at a young age to stand up for myself, don’t let people degrade you based on your skin. We’re strong people, we prove to others we don’t need anyone constantly. The most difficult [part] was walking into a restaurant or place that’s predominantly white without getting stared at... like I was a colour they’ve never seen before." She concludes, "I’m proud of my colour and I always will be."