Input | Output |
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Link | YouTube |
Published | 2020/06/09 |
Theme | |
Status | article incomplete |
Beau says:
Beau attended a march in a small southern town, challenging stereotypes and finding hope in the inherent goodness of people.
Community members
The full transcript captures Beau's experience at a march in a small southern town, showcasing positive community support, challenging stereotypes, and finding hope in societal change.
#Community #Unity #ChallengeStereotypes #Hope #PositiveChange
Well howdy there internet people, it's Beau again.
So today we're gonna talk about the march that I went to,
because everybody keeps asking.
If you don't know, there was a march
in the little town near me.
Surprise, yeah, me too.
So to be clear and fully lay the scene for you,
I live in North Florida,
in an area that is affectionately known as Lower Alabama,
a small town here consists of a population
that is smaller than the number of students
at one of the high schools I went to.
We're talking about a small town.
And there's that image
that goes along with small Southern towns.
There's that stereotype.
And I felt a little conflicted about it
because I know this community.
And generally speaking, you're talking about some good people.
But there's that image, there's that stereotype.
And that's one of the main reasons I went.
And I wasn't worried about law enforcement.
I happen to be lucky in the fact that I live in an area,
cops around here tend to go by the spirit of the law
more than the letter of the law.
That alone reduces use of force issues.
You don't have a lot of those problems here.
So I was really more concerned about the community
based on a stereotype
that conflicts with what I know about the community.
But I went anyway, you know, booted up and went.
I'm there where everybody's meeting up for maybe 60 seconds
before the cops show up.
You got to be kidding me.
Walks over, one cop walks over,
talks to the organizer for maybe a minute and a half,
walks away.
That's the entire interaction with law enforcement
throughout the entire march.
Nobody produced shields or batons or anything like that.
They didn't get out of their cars
and try to antagonize the march in any way, shape, or form.
They were around, but they stayed back.
They didn't assume an aggressive posture.
In fact, they blocked traffic at one point
to make it easier to cross the street.
But they did not come close at any time.
The businesses in the area, one of them donated bottled water.
As we would walk by, people would hang out
the windows of drive-thrus and clap.
I saw a 65-, 70-year-old woman throw her fist in the air
and look down, white woman, mind you.
At first, it was so out of place,
I actually thought she was being sarcastic
until she started clapping.
Cars driving by would honk and clap, say positive things.
The entire march, which was through about half the town,
one person, one solitary individual
said something negative, one, out
of everybody we passed.
The march itself, black organized.
I would say maybe 60% of the marchers were white.
And the people that were there ran the spectrum,
from a teacher to some college kids that
came home because something was happening in their little town
and drove back home.
Blue collar workers, there were a couple
people like me, and I could tell by the way they were dressed.
They were there just in case conflict resolution
skills were needed.
So I think one of the big takeaways
here is maybe don't believe stereotypes
about your own group, because that's really
one of the reasons I was there.
I was worried about a community I know,
a community that generally is full of really good people.
And I was expecting that stereotype.
Deep down, most people are good.
The last few years has brought the worst out of people.
But deep down, most people are good.
And that was proven.
That was proven.
So maybe we should take stock of that
and remember not to believe the media stereotypes that they
want us to believe.
It's a new South.
Things have changed.
The one image that I will never forget
was seeing a guy in cowboy boots, cowboy hat,
and a belt buckle the size of my head carrying a Black Lives
Matter sign through the middle of a small southern town.
That was not something I really expected to see.
But I did.
But I did.
For those overseas, this area of Florida,
it wasn't that long ago that it was known for sundown towns.
If you don't know what that is, look it up.
But things are changing in a positive way.
I know it's not happening quickly.
I know the problems aren't solved.
If they were, we wouldn't be marching.
But they are changing.
They are getting better.
People are waking up to the realities.
So there's a little hope in it.
Nothing exciting, but there was some hope.
And I think we've got enough excitement right now.
Hope may be what we need the most.
Anyway, it's just a thought.
Y'all have a good night.
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