This is the year.

I want to process an event that just happened. I'm processing it like this - publicly and in long-form - because I still can't believe it happened, and especially because I can't believe it happened at a place like Harvard. I have been calling out silence and neutrality for a long time. I know taking a position on these issues, and becoming a part of this movement for people who are not black can take a lot of reflection, because calling out the structurally violent and racist system we are all a part of means calling out our own privilege. It means recognizing that your safety, and even your success, is due to privileges that are not of your own making. Confronting privilege takes times, and I think is a necessary step to not only become a true participant in this movement, but also for real societal change.  As an organizer in the movement at the law school, I have seen the difficulty of engaging with people who are not themselves affected by the violence and ine

To the man in the coffee shop who asked me why I went out to disrupt people's commute home, to Boston Mayor who criticized the thousands of committed #BlackLivesMatter protesters for "frightening a child ... who just came there to see Santa Claus and instead had people screaming in her ear," and to everyone who has not yet taken a position on the violence occurring across the country or is remaining silent --- here are a few thoughts. I am not sorry that you had to wait 4.5 minutes to cross the street. What I am sorry about was that you did not take that opportunity to come out, learn about what has drawn hundreds of thousands into the streets in this country, and joined the protest yourself. We started disrupting because cops murdered an Black man and then left his body on the street for 4.5 hours. But we have continued to disrupt because it is undeniable that this is not an isolated incident and it is undeniable that this system does not equally treat Blacks and oth

I came back to St. Louis this long weekend to offer my help and time to the legal team that has been set up to support local organizers. The legal team has been supporting protesters who are arrested, preparing civil rights and human rights lawsuits, and trying to spread more awareness about abuses happening out here. I also came out to stand in solidarity with the community leading what is now a powerful national movement against law enforcement abuses, and more broadly against racial and economic injustice. Finally, I came to lend my privilege and access to shed light on the reality of what is happening on the ground. I want to share my observations from the ground here, because there has been completely irresponsible reporting by traditional media. The media has sensationalized and sought out singular instances of violence, while failing to proportionally cover the brutal police tactics used daily against peaceful protesters, as well as the truly beautiful and powerful action

This past weekend, a group of Harvard students from the law school, Kennedy School of government, divinity school, and education school headed to St. Louis and Ferguson to support the local community and organizers for their “Weekend of Resistance.” Below are some collective reflections on the inspiring and terrifying state response we witnessed. This weekend we traveled to Missouri for the Weekend of Resistance in response to the killing of Mike Brown over the summer. The most striking feature of the weekend was the contrast between the commitment, discipline, and love of the protesters and the threatening and violent nature of law enforcement in Ferguson and St. Louis. All weekend, we witnessed how the killing by the police of Michael Brown was bringing together racial justice advocates around the country. The organizers had brought the community and its allies together with powerful stories demonstrating the urgent need for action. As leaders from