Sam Wolfe
Photography

Communication Is Key

Communicate. 

Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.

It’s amazing how far a simple conversation can go to settling a simple misunderstanding.

Shortly after arriving at Black Live Matter Plaza in D.C. on Sunday, I overheard a black woman talking about the sign a young white protestor was carrying. The woman, in conversation with another visitor, said the girl appeared to be ‘on the fence’. She was speaking of the girls sign which read ‘All Birthdays Matter’ and was decorated with a cutout of a birthday cake taped to it on one side , and ‘Justice For Beonna Taylor’ on the opposite. The birthday messaged seemed to the woman to reference ‘All Lives Matter’, a phrase used by many in opposition to the BLM movement.

The girl, while not confronted by the woman, did overhear the comment and went to her to explain that the sign did not stem from the ‘All Live Matter’ mantra, but instead was an attempt to say that the birthdays of victims such at Breonna Taylor mattered as much as Donald Trump, whose birthday was Sunday. The girl then removed the cardboard cutout to show the phrase ‘Fuck Trump’ written underneath. It was covered, she said, in an effort to remain more politically correct. The cake decoration was immediately thrown in the trash.

No one sang Kumbaya and no hugs were given (possibly due to COVID-19 worries), but laughs were had and a connection made because of a simple, honest conversation. 


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