Following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor,  the Black Lives Matter movement has gained popularity in order to make people aware of the past and present racial injustices towards people of color. This movement has sparked a lot of people to advocate for the victims and rights of the black community. Many communities have banned together to fight for justice by holding protests, speak-outs and more. 

Terrell Webb,  a sophomore sports management major, has been advocating for this change by protesting for BLM all the way from Toronto, Ontario. 

As Webb was home in Canada for the summer break, he still managed to attend a protest there where he marched through the streets with friends. He discussed how important these protests are as a way to feel his voice is finally heard and how he sees the difference while in the United States. 

“This’ll be my second year in the U.S. and even before George Floyd, coming down to the U.S. as a black man was a little daunting,” stated Webb. “At the protest back home I felt safe. We as a group asked the city for there to be no police presence and they complied and everything went very well.”

He expressed his motivation for change and reason for being involved is being a black male in the world in this day and age, who is tired of being looked at in such a negative light without anyone even knowing who he is. 

There are also many allies of the movement that believe supporting their friends and community means attending as many protests and rallies as possible

Emily Breckoff, a Baton Rouge native and Tara High School 2020 graduate, has been a present force in multiple protests in her city and continues to push the matter to the forefront.

“I support the community I grew up in, and I have a lot of black friends so I know it could be any of them that ends up in these situations so that means that I have to fight with them, and if I am going to stand for anything, I am going to take that stand for them,” said Breckoff.

Breckoff admits she has had a hard time getting through to some family, so relationships have been strained, but she is determined to do everything she can to play her part in the matter, regardless of the stress of ending relationships. 

“I thought at first it was enough to just attend as many protests as I could, but it’s more than that,” mentioned Breckoff. “It’s supporting black-owned businesses, signing petitions, donating to funds and more. And as an ally, it is my job to do so.”