#BlackLivesMatter

IV Words is horrified at what happened to George Floyd in Minneapolis – yet another death by cop for a black man in this country.

As a white man, my perspective is obviously limited, but what happens to people of color in the United States every day, and it seems especially to men of color, is shameful, soul-crushing, vile. I cannot imagine the daily feelings, from ever-present unease to terror.

For what it’s worth, I stand with all people of color. And today I stand especially with you for George Floyd.

#JusticeForGeorgeFloyd #BLM #BlackLivesMatter

The march in Fargo-Moorhead this morning brought out, by my estimate, 3,000 to 4,500 peaceful protesters. It started at 10 a.m. in Island Park, wove through downtown and through parts of south Fargo before we (my wife, Cassi, my daughter, SAELA, and me) left. A social media friend of mine just informed me (1:55 p.m.) that protesters are still marching!

Justice for George Floyd march Fargo-Moorhead

The chants:

  • No justice, no peace! Prosecute the police!
  • Say his name! George Floyd!
  • What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!

Favorite signs:

“The color of my skin is not a crime.”

“The system in the United States isn’t broken. It was built this way.”

All citizens of the United States need to work harder and do better. Racism was there at the birth of our nation, and it’s here now. To paraphrase Will Smith, “Racism isn’t getting worse today. It’s just getting filmed.”

We need to stop the people in authority who are killing our brothers and sisters, regardless of race, creed or color. We need to do it right now.

TAKE ACTION! – #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd

#NeverAgain #EnoughIsEnough


Martin C. Fredricks IV

Martin C. “Red” Fredricks IV here. I’m husband to an amazing woman who is also my best friend, dad to three outstanding kids, Fargoan (North Dakota, that is), proud introvert, veteran messaging strategist/copywriter, blogger (https://ivwords.com) nonprofit founder (https://theclimateknights.org/) and big-time reader. As they say, if you're gonna write good stuff, you have to read good stuff. A ginger, too - ergo the "Red" - although some of it's going white. Cinnamon-Sugar, I call it. Tattooed to boot; seven so far. At age 54, I'm stilling crankin' AC/DC & Metallica, but now and again I spin some Eric Church and Black Uhuru, too. I love hanging out with my (much) better half, spending time with our kids, writing, hiking, riding my mountain bike and reading.

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