I’ve found myself of two minds lately, both voraciously scouring the news, or “doom scrolling,” and checking out completely to try and enjoy the last delights of summer sunshine.

But with a “Back the Blue” parade set to march through Potsdam, on Saturday, I feel called to resist the comforts of silence and name the racist and threatening attitudes that are set to parade our streets under the thin veil of supporting justice.

If proclaiming Black Lives Matter feels like a threat to you, pay attention: Until Black lives matter, all lives can’t. White lives have mattered (and been disproportionately privileged and advantaged) since the founding of the United States—really since the creation of “whiteness.”

Supporting the demands of the Black Lives Matter movement does not threaten or call into question the validity of the lives of people who put on police uniforms, firefighter gear, scrubs, and doctor’s coats.

The “Back the Blue” parade presents us with a false binary: Black Lives vs Blue Lives. Of course this falsely conflates race with occupation. You can take off a uniform; you cannot remove a person’s race. In addition, “Back the Blue” supports Blue Lives Matter, an organization meant as a retaliation to Black Lives Matter. The only appropriate response to Black Lives Matter is to join in action toward dismantling individual and systemic racism.

All lives benefit from confronting and dismantling racism. In order to do this, we must stand unequivocally and publicly in solidarity with our Black community members. Only then can we call the North Country an inclusive and just place.

In solidarity,

Rivka Rocchio

Potsdam