For 8 minutes and 46 seconds I kneeled tonight on St. Charles Avenue and held my “This Teacher Believes that Black Lives Matter” sign and wore my “Black Lives Matter” shirt.

The light turned red, and traffic stopped.

Three feet in front of me sat an older white gentleman in his car. We locked eyes, and he slowly began to shake his head at me.

It was uncomfortable and so very sad.

My knees were filthy with grass and dirt. Sweat was inching down my forehead, and over my mask I stared into eyes filled with hate.

He didn’t know me, and I wasn’t in any way physically interrupting his drive home.

I was peacefully kneeling on neutral ground (which are NOLA words for the “median,”) and making a statement with my sign and my shirt.

There was no reason for the hate, but still it was there.

So I began fighting a war with my eyes.

I never stopped staring at this man, even though he uncomfortably averted his eyes within seconds.

He was the picture of hate.

I kneeled there staring until the light changed, and he drove off.

I knew that if i wanted to I could have put my sign away and changed my shirt and that things would go back to being peaceful and warm.

My privilege allows me that.

However, I will return tomorrow with that same sign and that same shirt and those same eyes because this fight is not “black vs white.”

This fight is “good vs evil.”

Black lives matter, and it’s time for all good people to show up, speak up, and lock eyes with evil.

Change is coming.

♥️✊