Across the country and around the world people have been marching in the streets to protest the brutal and unjust treatment of black people by the police, and the overarching racism that exists throughout society. Lapstone & Hammer wholeheartedly supports this movement, and we believe it is our duty to use the platform we have to amplify the voices of the people who experience these racist policies and attitudes first hand. In the coming weeks leading up to the election we will be hosting a new series called Lapstone Presents: Voices of the Unheard.

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“The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.” 

-Malcolm X 

I cannot recall in what context or even what age I was when I first learned of this Malcom X quote. What I do recall, however, was the searing rage and hollowing sadness that washed over me as I immediately understood every part of this statement to be fact. 

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“An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” 

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

These are trying times today in America. We are going through a global pandemic, the poor are still poor, the rich are getting richer and sadly, racism is still alive and well. It’s never actually gone anywhere. It’s just been more covert. There’s a lot of hurt in the Black community, and what you’re seeing out here is a reflection of that. The pain, the anger. We carry that with us every single day of our lives. Consciously and subconsciously it manifests itself in other parts of our lives and we don’t even realize it. Sometimes I feel like it’s embedded into our DNA. 

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Across America, despite the alarming threat of COVID-19, and several months removed from cameras capturing a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on the neck of George Floyd for more than 8 minutes slowly killing him, the eyes of the world turned to Kenosha, Wisconsin for yet another police shooting of an unarmed Black man. Jacob Blake was shot 7 times in his back while leaning in the car where his children were present inside. Protests in the community broke out as the video began to circulate social media and members of the community demanded justice and sought explanation as to why we are again mourning and grappling with yet another unarmed Black man fighting for his life after being shot by police.  

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The year 2020 has been equal parts catastrophe, chaos, and revolution. The year began with the emergence of a global pandemic, followed by an uncoordinated (and woefully inadequate) response that disproportionately impacted marginalized populations. But even in a pandemic, police brutality persists. The resulting protests were met with more violence. And quite frankly processing this all has been crippling. 

Over the last few months I have been grappling with how I plan on protesting. For some, their activism of choice is marching or attending a rally. With a global pandemic, I didn’t feel comfortable joining large demonstrations. Instead, I learned to carve my own path and contribute to the cause in ways that made the most to sense to me.  If you are unsure how you can help, here are some suggestions:

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