Here’s a compilation of how the New Kids On The Block reacted to the death of George Floyd.
Please note The Blog has moved to nkotb.blog and this post may be updated
“Silence is not an option” – Donnie Wahlberg
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Every sentence that I type, feels like a sentence that I’ve typed before. I guess that’s because I have typed sentences exactly like this before — on far too many occasions. Yet, I know that for me to sit in silence is not an option. Something has to be said and something has to be done. So I’ll start by saying his name — #GeorgeFloyd! To hear #GeorgeFloyd say “I can’t breathe” is to have heard #EricGarner say the exact same words before. To have the exact same outcome — is incomprehensible. Yet, here we are again. To know that #TrayvonMartin was killed by an armed man who had no business approaching him, is to know that #AhmaudArbery should not have been approached by two armed men who had no business approaching him. To have the exact same outcome — is incomprehensible. Yet, here we are again. It was awful, disgraceful and inexcusable, for those men’s deaths to have occurred then — and it is awful, disgraceful and inexcusable, for these men’s deaths to have occurred now. Something has to be said and something has to be done. Silence is not an option. This has to end. #GeorgeFloyd #sayhisname I’m not asking anything of any of those who follow me — but if you agree — I invite you to screen shot the # picture that I posted and post it yourself, or post something of your own.
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“Racism, is also ALL OF US, if we stand by and do nothing” – Donnie Wahlberg
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To my fans, friends, family and followers, I’m not writing this to preach to any of you. I’m not writing this to tell my black friends, who are directly impacted by racial injustice, what they already know — because they are confronted with the horrors of racism every single day. I’m writing to those of us who are not directly impacted by the very real threat of racial injustice — those who never have to wonder “is this traffic stop going to lead to my death?” or “is this jog going to cost me my life?” I’m also writing to those who sincerely want to help make change. Racism, and racial injustice, go far beyond the horrific, disgraceful and unjust murder of black men like #GeorgeFloyd. Racism, is also ALL OF US, if we stand by and do nothing. We can’t keep telling our black friends, and family, that we’re “sorry”, “we have your back” or we “understand”. There’s no white person, no matter how close to it, who can ever truly know the experience of being black in America. We may bear witness to it, but it’s not us who is experiencing it. Nor can we say that we are “colorblind”. To be colorblind in America — is to be blind to the experience of people of color and to turn a blind eye to the history of people of color. If we don’t stand up, and speak up, to the racial injustice that we see on a daily basis — blatant, systemic, subtle, covert or unintentional — we are just as complicit as the men who stood by and did nothing to help #GeorgeFloyd while a monster took his life. So, I’m writing to encourage us to speak up. Not just in our comments — but in our homes, our socials, our neighborhoods, our workplaces and our communities. Let’s speak up so another #GeorgeFloyd won’t happen, or another woman of color isn’t treated unfairly on the job and so no black parents have to explain to their children — what no parents should ever have to explain to any children. Please engage directly with those around you, who may not be as woke as you, to enlighten them — so they may open their hearts and minds — or be encouraged to speak up too. Make change in your world, to begin the process of changing the whole world. I love you and I thank you. #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd
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