By: Erica Hopkins, a member of the Black community. “For the first time in my life, I am visible. I want to use my voice to create a lasting change.”

This is a contributor-submitted Voices piece. Want to join the conversation? We invite you to write for us. Learn how to share your voice here.

The first time I realized I was Black; I was 10 years old. A white classmate told me that I could not do something because of the color of my skin. I grew up in lower Alabama. I learned from a very young age that people would probably treat me differently because of the color of my skin.

I have spent my entire life in two realities, one American and one Black. Being an American means something different to me because I’m Black. It means that I am more likely to be targeted by police officers. It means that I am more likely to be followed in a store and accused of stealing. It means that I need to work twice as hard to even be considered an equal counterpart to my white coworkers even if I have the same education. It means that doctors are less likely to take me seriously when I say that I am in pain. It means that people go to the other side of the street because they don’t want to walk close to me on the sidewalk. These experiences are usually explained away by others because maybe “you did something wrong” or “maybe you looked guilty.” The amount of gaslighting that occurs in our lifetime can be overwhelming.

I love being Black, and I love my Black community. My community is not asking for pity or apologies. We are a strong and resilient people. We are asking for change, equality, and for our voices to be heard. This starts by having those tough conversations about race with those responsible for changing policies and making laws. Also,

○ Mental health screenings for all police officers and better background checks. A police officer should not be able to resign from one station in one state (because of police brutality complaints) and go to another state and begin policing.

○ Practice community policing to build a better relationship with the community.

○ Community board to review police misconduct. Police should not investigate the police.

○ We need more black-owned businesses in the downtown area.

○ Feature more diversity in social media posts for Greenville.

○ Offer information to the community about politicians in leadership that directly impact the lives of minority communities.

○ Use your social media platform to amplify the voices of the disenfranchised in the community.

We’d also love to hear more from your perspective via our Voices platform, where we turn the mic over to you – our diverse and vibrant community – to share your take on how our community can better facilitate conversations on these important topics.