Written Works 8:46Life. Breath. Death. Protest. Robert L. Dortch Jr. | June 4, 2020


We ask why? As we cry, "I can't breathe" as the world watches us die with cameras rolling like our life is a reality show and the director will shout, "Cut." How can we watch a Black man die as we stand by? Have you ever looked in the eyes of a Black man? Have you seen our hearts smile? Have you ever felt our love? How long will you prey on us but treat us like predators? When we kneel in peace you cry foul. When we plead for our lives, while you kneel on our necks with your hands in your pocket like this is just another day. We cry as our breath starts distancing itself from our bodies. Time stands still while the clock keeps ticking and we close our eyes because we get tired of fighting all of the time and we wonder if God's words are true. Will you be with us always until the end of time or until time ends.

I go on searching for answers to unanswered prayers because if I stop believing in life, then what? So I go to looking in verses and see if I can find peace in the midst of this pain because I'm not okay that for 400 plus years our Black lives don't seem to matter to anyone but our mothers, children and lovers.

"But Jesus said, "Somebody touched me for I perceived power going out from me." - Luke 8:46

"Which of you convicts me of sin? And if I tell you the truth, why do you not believe me? - John 8:46


George Floyd's last words includes multiple cries of "I can't breathe" and calling for his Mama. When will we listen? When will you hear us? When will you believe us?

Will the streets now speak for me and for those who rest in an uneasy peace?
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