This teen girl explained #BlackLivesMatter in the most intensely honest way in class, and it will give your whole body chills

This teen girl explained #BlackLivesMatter in the most intensely honest way in class, and it will give your whole body chills

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On a video posted to Twitter that is quickly going viral, one student moved us to tears with her amazing speech on the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and how slavery, segregation, and a history of racist violence still impacts the treatment of black people today. The video, posted by @makaylaathomass, has amassed nearly 10k retweets and over 12k likes (and probably way more by the time you’re reading this), and has garnered *so* much support, and with good reason. Seriously, it’s impossible to watch this and not be moved, and we hope it helps those who still misunderstand the meaning of #BlackLivesMatter grasp what it’s really all about.

The video begins,

“Tamir Rice could have been my brother. That could have been my brother, laid out on the street. A thirteen year old. Tamir Rice was walking down street with a hood on. The people who are supposed to protect [us] are killing [us] every day.”

“And I’m not saying that police officers are bad. I’m not saying I’m anti-cop. Because that’s not what it means. What it means is that black lives matter too. We’re not saying white lives don’t matter, or police lives don’t matter. We are saying that there’s problem in this country with people caring black people since the beginning of time.”

Just, like, wow. Talk about a talented story-teller, a passionate student, and an amazing, amazing mind. We are so grateful for her vulnerability, and her emotion. We can’t imagine how difficult this was to share.

While this is seriously incredible, it’s also so difficult to watch, as it’s clearly painful for the speaker. She cries as she speaks, visibly hurt by the extreme violence that has been plaguing black people in the U.S. not just recently, but since the beginning. It’s a lot of hurt to hold, especially considering that there are more black kids than ever suffering from mental health issues as a result of the continuous images of violence and aggression toward black people, and we’re sending her nothing but love, and encouragement to make sure that she’s taking care of herself.

The internet is just as impressed with her as we are.