Let’s Discuss Silence
by Kerstin Holman
A person can contribute to a cause in two simple ways: positively, or negatively. This statement may seem too open-and-shut, too dismissive, but when it comes to advocating for human life, there is no time to debate on the gray matter in something that is so easily identified as black and white. One may believe that their choice—yes, it is a conscious choice—to remain silent during times when using your voice and platform and privilege that many others do not have is just as bad if not worse than being on the wrong side of history. In fact, your choice to remain “neutral” by not posting, retweeting, donating and showing up to protests ironically speak volumes to the people who know you. You are screaming right in their faces that you do not care for those who are suffering at the hands of those who have way too much power. Your decision to continue living your life like everything is normal as if the world isn’t burning to the ground is like taking the world’s largest megaphone and vocalizing to everyone that you are comfortable with people being murdered left and right as long as you remain unaffected. You may think that because there appears to be an endless parade of loud voices consuming the air that your silence will go unnoticed. But our shouts advocating for change and mercy are not enough to distract us from the deafening sound of you choosing to do nothing to help our cause. Your silence means our arrests. Your neutrality tolerates our pain and our deaths. Your indifference equals racism, homophobia, sexism, ableism. Our voices and actions may lead to our demise, but your insistence to remain quiet is just as deadly. Your complacency makes you just as culpable.
