I can also say that I’ve now participated in a #BlackLivesMatter protest.

It’s one thing to see it on video. It’s another thing to be there in person –

to see Black people from all backgrounds carrying children, wearing dashikis and suspenders, holding up their fists and open palms in fulsome protest under the gray, heavily-cloudy sky;

to see smiling onlookers wave and thumbs-up as you walk the pavement screaming #HandsUpDontShoot up and down the road;

to vocally worry about what’s going to happen to you when you cross the asphalt Rubicon in the face of assembled LEO cars;

to see colleagues of yours arrested by heavily-armored LEOs amidst flashing blue and red lights;

to see the genuine pain and anguish coupled with retellings of Black civilian survival tactics on the streets of Everytown, USA;

to see Euro-Americans walk with us and be in the midst of civil disobedience for Black lives;

to speak with your stutter from the top of your head on the history of the country and what is at stake –

all under the shadow and binoculars and unmarked vehicles of the militarized police force of Columbus, GA.

Get as much video and photo as possible.