Editor's note: Obviously, we can't guarantee that an event billed as peaceful or family-friendly remains that way; please use your own best judgment for the safety of your family and be sure to practice social distancing.
Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County is calling for a statewide day of action in support of all Black lives in Washington State on Friday, June 12th. The day of action will include a general strike and a silent march to honor and mourn the lives lost to police brutality and institutional racism. For those who can’t march in Seattle, we encourage local groups to organize a march in their communities.
We know that not everyone can attend a march for various reasons. Our chapter has made it very clear that we don’t want to put people at risk in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. So for those who can’t participate in a physical gathering, we urge you to participate in the general strike and in actions that we post online throughout the day.
It’s important to emphasize that the decision to plan this in-person protest was not made lightly. We understand that people will claim that this protest will increase the risk of harm to members of our community by planning such an action at this time. However, we feel that we are not taking a new risk. Rather, we have already been put at risk. Anti-Blackness is a greater threat to our survival. Racism is its own pandemic. It’s killing us, and we are fighting to survive and thrive.
There’s never been been a time in American history where Black people have not lived and died under the unrelenting boot of racism and systematic oppression. If we truly want to create something that we’ve never had before, then we need to be willing to do things that we’ve never done before. A statewide day of action for black lives will send a powerful message to all government officials that Washingtonians no longer tolerate the racism that is built into so many of our institutions.
