Below is a short piece written by Soroush, age 14, an S3 pupil from Glasgow.  It provides an honest opinion piece on how the Black Lives Matter is viewed from the perspective of young people.

It is important to allow our young people a platform to allow their voices to be heard and considered.

My thoughts on Black Lives Matter, by Soroush

I remember one day, I woke up at around 9:00am as usual, and headed downstairs ready to start my work.  I was turning on the TV to see the headlines, and many people were rioting as a result of the recent death of George Floyd. He was an unarmed African American living in Minneapolis, Minnesota where he was murdered by a white police officer. 

When I first saw the footage of Floyd’s murder, I felt disgusted.  After countless protests, pleas and petitions another innocent had been murdered in cold blood by the white supremacist police.  I feel outraged that people will just sit and accept these fascist acts as a “tragedy”, yet after these incidents happen, they shall continue, business as usual, until the next innocent is murdered. 

However, people started rioting in the United States of America.  The people were fed up with a two party system in which both sides, Democrat and Republican, make an effort to look as if they are polar opposites when really they are one and the same, and had constantly lied to them about “change.”  The people realised that protesting legally, has been made ineffectual and is not having an impact on real change. Systemic racism means the system itself is institutionally racist, therefore what is the point of following the rules of the same system? It is simple – there is no point.

The job of law enforcement is, simply, to enforce the law.  When those laws themselves are found upon racist principles, those enforcing the law have successfully made themselves the enemy.  The oppressor.  As we can see, the people are beginning to realise this.  This brings me great joy, to see that my generation will grow up in a world, that may have a chance of not being ruled by a racist, bourgeoise, oppressive, homophobic and sexist upper class of “elites”.  Maybe, there is still hope in the world to make change. 

Perhaps, more and more people will begin to see how they have been treated like the damned of the earth because of their race.  Because of their Sexuality.  Because of their class.  Because of their nationality.  Because of their gender.  For far too long, people have been treated like filth, in comparison to their so-called “superiors”.  We are lucky enough, to see, for the first time in human history, the “weak” will overcome the “strong”, truly for the benefit of humanity. 

I felt happy, and for the first time in a long time I had felt optimistic for the future of humanity, for even when the capitalists kill the earth, for even when the fascists seek to destroy the people, for even when a “person” like Trump is elected as the President of the United States of America, the people still have hope.  Even throughout the hardest times, when the people put aside their petty disagreements and unite as one proletariat, they are an unstoppable, powerful force to be reckoned with. 

This fills me with great joy, and immense pride to know that finally, one day, we shall finally make a better world.