justice can't wait
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” - Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 - 1968)
It’s the twenty-first century already. Why is racism still here?
You must have come across the phrase “Black Lives Matter”, whether on social media or in offline protests. Trust us, this movementa is not the end of anti-racist progress, it is the beginning. The question is, will you stand with us in this pivotal battle of humankind?
Figure 1: Reproduced from: Custom Minifigs 2020.
THEY CAN'T BREATHE
Black Lives Matter movement started in 2013 after the death of an African-American teen Trayvon Martin. After 7 years long, it has boomed again during the global George Floyd protests. Are you watching? Black lives haven't been able to breathe for an unbelievably long time. It is a messed up fact that although Black Americans make up less than 13% of the U.S. population, they are killed by police at more than twice the number of white Americans (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Americans killed by police from 2015-2020.
Reproduced from: The Washington Post 2020.
BUILD LEGO - CHANGE THE WORLD
We donated 4 million dollars to support black children and educate youngsters about racial equality organizations. Besides, every toy set related to the police was stopped promotion (Roffman 2020).
Figure 3. Reproduced from: Google n.d.
Now, it’s your turn. To build your future justice world, start drafting it with LEGO bricks. You can build, unbuild, and rebuild the equal world in your mind until it is perfect. Be a part of the movement by sharing your world of justice on social media with hashtags #BlackLivesMatter #LEGOFightRacism.
The LEGO world is not so different from the real one: they both have people with all skin colors. Black lives are cherished in the LEGO world, and with your help, they will all be so in our future world.
REFERENCE:
Custom Minifigs 2020, image, Facebook, viewed 10 September 2020, <https://www.facebook.com/CustomMinifigs/photos/a.183280968438727/2483224831777651/>.
Lego Grad Student 2020, 'Black Lives Matter', image, Twitter, viewed 10 September 2020, <https://twitter.com/legogradstudent/status/1270061551366463492>.
The Washington Post 2020, ‘Black Americans are killed at a much higher rate than White Americans’, image, The Washington Post, 10 September, viewed 12 September 2020, <https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police-shootings-database/>
Roffman, M 2020, 'Lego Pulls Advertising for Police-Related Toys In Support of Black Lives Matter', Consequence of Sound, 4 June, viewed 10 September 2020, <https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/06/lego-police-black-lives-matter/>.