Starr Carter

The problem is in the nation's history. Racially motivated acts of violence are rooted in slavery due to systemic oppression and discrimination. They are implicated in today’s world by subconscious bias and negative stereotypes. People attempted to justify Khalil’s death by calling him a drug dealer and dehumanizing him when they don't even know him. They only focused on the fact that he sold drugs, not the fact that he was still a person. They have no idea what forms of systemic oppression led to him and others having to resort to selling drugs. This system is designed against people like him and to prevent them from truly succeeding in this world.

I promise to never forget. I promise to never give up. I promise to never be quiet. I promise Khalil.

Yvette Smith was a devoted mother of two when she died. She called 911 in order to solve an argument between two men. The deputy who arrived, ordered Yvette to come out with her hands up and then proceeded to shoot her three times, claiming he saw a gun. These officers make the same claim every single time. It's getting old and we all know it isn't true.

This is 32 year old Philando Castile. He was in the car with his girlfriend and her 4 year old daughter when he was pulled over because the officer claimed he looked like an armed robbery suspect. Philando told the officer he had a legal firearm in the car but was going to get his drivers license. He reached for his license and the officer shot him 7 times, 5 of which struck and killed him.

Aiyana Mo'Nay Stanley Jones. Only seven years old. Aiyana was shot in the head while sleeping in her grandmothers living room. A police officer entered the wrong apartment during a raid and falsely claimed to see Aiyana's grandmother reaching for a gun. Rest in peace beautiful girl.

This is Fred Hampton. He was an American civil rights leader and chairman of the Black Panther Party. When Fred was in high school, he staged walkouts and protests against racism, and successfully advocated for the hiring of more black teachers. He was soon recruited by the NAACP for their suburban youth division. He continued to fight after his high school graduation where he accompanied black children to an unsegregated neighbourhood so they could swim. These were just a few of his efforts to fight against racism. Fred joined the Black Panther Party in 1968, and he was known as a powerful speaker who fought against racial injustices to fight police brutality and address poverty in Chicago's most neglected neighbourhoods. He had also started a health clinic and a free breakfast program for those in need. As Fred's influence grew along with the other panthers, they soon became a threat to the FBI. Fred was brutally shot and killed during a raid in his apartment. Fred was on his bed, lying beside his pregnant fiancee when Chicago police and the FBI shot 100 bullets into his small apartment. Fred's influence will live forever.

This little boy's name is Tamir Rice. He was only a child when he was taken from this world by racist cops. He traded his cellphone for a plastic airsoft gun and when he was walking in the park he was shot dead. He was falsely identified as a 20 year old and the police claimed he had a revolver. This is just another way a murder of a black person has been justified.

Protest today for Khalil.

Bobby Hutton was the first treasurer of the Black Panther Party. Two days after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Bobby and his friend were confronted by cops. Hutton surrendered and stripped down to his underwear to prove he was not carrying a gun. The police shot him 12 times.

Khalil was only a sixteen-year-old boy when he was brutally shot by a police officer after a traffic stop. But to me, Khalil was more than just a boy. I grew up with him. Khalil was a friend. I watched him develop into the person we loved when he was taken from us for being a black man in a car. Although it's sad to see my friend leave, what his life has accomplished is greater than he could have ever thought. He drove many people to stand up and take action against racism and police brutality.

This is Emmett Till. A 14 year old black boy who was murdered in a racist attack that shocked the nation. He was visiting the city of Mississippi and was accused of harassing a white lady. Days later, relatives of this woman abducted Emmett. They beat him until he died and then disposed of his mutilated body in a river located nearby. The world needs to shine more light on his story and the truth about the history of brutal attacks against black people.