Mute yourself and pass the mic.

“It has been 401 years that my people have been fighting for their lives. 401 years that we have carried this country on our backs. We have to understand that for us this is not new, that when I see a picture of my brother with a pistol to his head, I flinch but I also know cause that’s not new. Because George Floyd was my brother. Breonna Taylor was my sister. This is not new for our community.” – Denver, CO Protestor, Human Being

“Black people don’t have access to healthcare in this country, and we’re out here right now risking our lives because we matter.” – Denver, CO Protestor, Human Being

“Black communities remain second class communities to whiteness. I am sick, you don’t like the violence of some of these protests, but all whites have done is teach our communities violence. You don’t like it because we learned it from you. I’m not going to preach, and I’m not going to teach. I have spent far too much of my 22 years on this earth doing just that. If you want to learn more, educate yourself. Open your eyes to the world around you.” – Denver, CO Protestor, Human Being

“I wasn’t going to say anything, but I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting and it’s important to talk about relationships. What has transpired might make us hate each other, but our differences are what strengthens us. That’s what keeps us together.” – Denver, CO Protestor, Human Being

“Thank you for giving me a platform. I just wanted to acknowledge that today is the first day of pride. Also, I am not a part of the LGBTQ+ community, I consider myself an ally. So, to those of our black brothers and sisters that are in the LGBTQ+ community, I just want to say we see you, we love you, and we stand with you, and we are proud of you.” – Denver, CO Protestor, Human Being

“I’m not here saying these things because I’m black. I’m saying it because I’m a f*cking human being.” – Denver, CO Protestor, Human Being

#amplifymelanatedvoices

For more resources on eating disorder recovery, mental health, and body positivity, please visit:

• Alishia McCullough at www.bodytraumapod.com

• Jessica Wilson, MS. RD. www.jessicawilsonmsrd.com

• Mammy Is Dead www.mammyisdead.com

• African-American Women and Eating Disorders: Depression, and the Strong Black Woman Archetype

• We Are Failing at Treating Eating Disorders in Minorities

• Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat by Stephanie Covington Armstrong www.stephaniecovingtonarmstrong.com