Loved Ones of The Movement Appear on Special
Recently Craig Melvin from Dateline sat down with Jacob Blake Jr., George Floyd and Eric Garner’s loved ones in a joint interview that will air Thursday on NBC in the Journey for Justice special. All three Black men became extremely public examples of police brutality.
Many people hear about their pain but don’t quite understand the depth of their losses. Melvin chimed in during the preview:
“It’s one thing to talk to one or two people about your loss and what that person meant to you,” Melvin said in a preview that aired on TODAY. “Or in Jacob Blake Sr.’s case, not your loss, but having (your child’s) life changed in a dramatic way in a few seconds. But it’s another thing entirely when you are surrounded by other people who have similar stories.”
There’s Unity in Pain
Gwen Carr, Eric Garner’s mother, finds comfort in being a part of her née village. She is surrounded by people who have had similar experiences. They feel an unexplainable hurt that cannot be easily addressed because of the failure of America’s justice system.
“We all have a certain bond now because we know what it is to lose a loved one or to get a loved one so severely injured that it takes a part of us.”
In addition, Blake Sr. made it clear that these men were stripped of their very humanity.
“It’s so easy to look at each one of these people here and know they get it, man,” Blake, Sr. said. “They get it. Because you never asked to be in this situation. But for somebody else’s racism, we’re in this situation because we are not looked at like humans.”
Interview Release
The interview was set to drop a day after there was an insurrection carried out by Trump supporters. They sought to disrupt the certification of President-elect Joe Biden. Despite the storming of the Capitol Building, police did not deploy similar harsh tactics used against Black Lives Matter protesters. BLM warrants support by those who have taken to the streets for racial justice. In fact, protests in Kenosha were taking place as well.
Folks have to pay attention to the clear examples of white supremacy being demonstrated. And while Americans reminisce on the negativity of yesterday, they must remember to say their names: George Floyd, Jacob Blake Jr. and Eric Garner.
