I remember learning about Emmett Till in high school. I remember being horrified, but being so grateful to live in a nice, peaceful, post-racism society where that kind of thing doesn’t happen anymore. Because that’s how the lesson was presented to me: “Look at all these terrible things that have happened! Good thing they don’t happen anymore! Don’t worry about it!”

But now I look around and I see more and more Emmett Tills. I see Troy Davis, Trayvon Martin, Matthew Shepard, and Shaima Alawadi.

This is not the America I want.

I want schools to stop teaching Emmett Till’s story like it’s not still happening. I want to see more teachers providing a forum for their students to bring up current events, rather than chastising them when they “get off-topic.” I want people to know what the fuck’s going on and to fucking give a shit. I want the apathy of my generation to be dissolved. I want people to take to the goddamn streets and create zines and blogs and write to their politicians and read the news and write songs and make art and talk to people and spread the goddamn word.

I want people to be angry about this shit.

I don’t want to see any more Emmett Tills, Troy Davises, Trayvon Martins, Shaima Alawadis, Matthew Shepards, or any of the other countless, nameless, faceless victims of racism, oppression, and hate.