It ALL starts with US.

Right now the racial turmoil in this country is at the highest it’s been in a really long time.

Racism, but more specifically, anti-blackness is not just practiced by our police system in this country, it is everywhere.

Anti-blackness exists in all of the cities of this country, in every single one of our neighborhoods. Even within our black and brown inner city neighborhoods, within our Latino communities, we exhibit anti-blackness and discrimination against our own people.

The disease of anti-blackness starts in our own homes. This uncomfortable realization must spark uncomfortable conversations within our own families.

It is no longer acceptable to make jokes or chide each other about the colors of our skin, just because we are black or brown ourselves. That accepted form of communication needs to stop immediately. Our language needs to change now.

The old "terms of endearment" we used amongst ourselves, can no longer be accepted. We must expect better from ourselves, we must evolve from our old forms of communication, today, right now.

We must demand from ourselves, what we demand from the rest of the country, from the rest of the world.

Let’s hold ourselves accountable today, right now. Then tomorrow we unite.

Then we plan, we organize, we mobilize.

#BlackIsBeautiful

Words by Adolfo Steve Vazquez photo by Duane Garay