Buffalo Approves Resolution to Rename City Street ‘Black Lives Matter’
The Black Lives Matter movement will officially be commemorated in Buffalo, New York.
This past Tuesday, June 23, the Buffalo Common Council passed a resolution to designate a city street to the Black Lives Matter movement. The sponsor of the resolution, Council President Darius G. Pridgen, revealed that an impassioned letter from a 17-year-old rising senior at the Frederick Law Olmsted school inspired the council to approve the legislation. The 17-year-old youth, Mekhi Edwards, eloquently explained in his letter that the renaming of a street to Black Lives Matter would empower the Black community and promote unity. It would legitimize the movement by ensuring that permanent, long-lasting action was taken to celebrate Black heritage and pay homage to the racial equity campaign. Edwards explained, “The purpose [of renaming a street] is awareness and then change. You can’t go anywhere if there’s no change.”
Mekhi Edwards is going to be a senior at Frederick Law Olmsted school. Makhi and his friends have been watching the turmoil, the clashes, the racism unfold and decided to do something.https://t.co/dC3gMUmQP3
— News 4 Buffalo (@news4buffalo) June 24, 2020
This project, although officially approved, is still in the early works of development. Many logistical concerns need to be addressed, such as the location of this awaited, memorialized Black Lives Matter street.
Mekhi Edwards, 17, wrote the letter to Common Council President Darius Pridgen, who introduced the resolution. https://t.co/2gWCrUJNNR
— WGRZ (@WGRZ) June 13, 2020
This resolution is revolutionary, a step in the right direction. America eagerly exploits Black culture, but rarely celebrates and honors it: Black subculture has dramatically influenced the mainstream, from hairstyles and fashion, to popular slang, dance, and music. Your pregame playlist simply wouldn’t exist without Black culture.
Many “hipsters” mechanically consume and appropriate Black culture for personal enjoyment and profit. The American public is quick to embrace Black culture, to fangirl favorite artists, actors, and athletes. However, when it comes to championing Black Lives Matter, many individuals are less vocal. For many, Blackness seems to be a thing to consume, but not to engage with.
Activism is the bare minimum.
Fighting for BLACK LIVES is the bare minimum.
Calling out Rape Culture is the bare minimum.Do not be content, there is ALWAYS more to be DONE.
— Kimiya deniseee (@Kimiya_denisee) June 24, 2020
People enlighten others on social media about the problematic nature of cultural appropriation.
here are some words and phrases that are aave.
– chile
– asf and af
– bae
– slay
– yas
– tea, spill the tea
– ain’t, issa, ian, ion, imma, dat, dem, doe, (anything where ‘th’ replaced with ‘d’ pic.twitter.com/6eAx6RRYH1— zay♚ (@vivicntr) June 19, 2020
We commend Buffalo for taking this revolutionary action, for making this bold anti-racism statement and championing its Black residents. Color is not a crime, but silence is. How many more lives need to be lost? How many police brutality cases weren’t filmed? How do you promote safety and security within the Black community when the criminal wears a badge? Black Lives Matter…Black Lives Matter…Black Lives Matter; we’ll say it until we don’t need to say it anymore.
I am a plucky Sophomore at Wesleyan University with a passion for writing, fashion, running, and extremely strong coffee—so strong that it would make a 6’5’’ WWE wrestler weep. I am a small person with a big personality, only intensified by the coffee, that seeps into both my bold street and writing style. I am currently based in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area and am excited to work for such an empowering, female-focused publication. During this trying time in history it is more important than ever for women to continue lifting each other up and spreading positive energy!
