North Texas Daily

Troy Elliott / SGA President

I was approached by a peer of mine at the Library Mall after an on-campus protest occurred. She said to me, “How can you align yourself, as Student Body President, with a cause like #BlackLivesMatter? In some areas, protests are peaceful, but in most places like Ferguson, violence is being used to create fear, thinking it will spark change in this battle. There have not been enough killings confirmed for this to be considered specific to blacks, for one. You should be spending your time as a community organizer getting your people to work with police and build relationships; not fight over court decisions that have since passed. Get over it!”

My response is as follows: You would better understand my point if you learn about my perspective. I want to share a quick story with you that better explains that perspective. The story is biblical, from Luke 15:8-9. There was a woman who had 10 pieces of silver. When she had lost one piece, she swept her entire house, and searched diligently until she found it. When she found it, she called her friends, and asked that they join her in rejoicing, for she found what she had lost.

There are three major points to this story. The first is that this woman placed value in each piece of silver. Because she placed value in each piece of silver, she kept close watch over it. She was therefore able to identify when a piece of silver had been lost. The second is that she understood, though the piece of silver had been lost, it had not lost its value. It had just lost its usefulness. The third point is that she surrounds herself with people who share her sense of value. This is why she was able to call her friends and ask that they join her in rejoicing, for they understood the value of finding what she had lost.

I place value in black life. The loss of one is enough to cause me to search diligently for justice. I protest with others regarding court cases that have since passed. Because of the initial value that I place in black life, I understand that though the black life has been lost, it has not lost its value. Lastly, I cannot call and rejoice with those that share the same value as I, because we have not yet achieved justice. I instead call them and ask them to join in the search of justice with me.

This battle, as you so eloquently described it, is not about fear. It is about value. What do you value? Until you stand hand in hand with me, placing the same value in black life as I do, we will not see change.

Featured Image: SGA President Troy Elliott. NT Daily file photo