When I decided to major in legal studies at the top public university in the world, my hope was to one day work in social justice in an attempt to better the lives of minorities in America. Being mixed race, both white and black, I feel a personal obligation to dedicate my passion to the African-American community in particular. Not long ago, I realized that I can start making a change sooner rather than later by using my voice and platform to stand up against systemic racism. 
 
On June 5th, my older brother, Ian, and I went with some of our close friends to peacefully protest in downtown Phoenix, near my hometown of Chandler, Ariz. Following the social media outburst regarding George Floyd, I shortly realized that being a verbal advocate was not enough. Walking in solidarity with 20,000 other Arizona residents was not only liberating, but necessary. From the people handing out masks and water bottles on every corner of our march, to the chants echoing through the street, the protest displayed great strength in numbers.
 
I stay away from the politics that separate myself from the next person, and wholeheartedly believe this is not a conversation regarding politics; rather a movement supporting the human race. I peacefully marched for the Breonna Taylors and Eric Garners of the world, who no longer have a chance to speak out against police brutality and the inevitable systemic racism that has impacted our country since birth.
 
I was so proud to march and be a part of something that was way bigger than myself. I encourage all of my friends and family, especially my Cal family, to stand up and fight for equality. This starts with educating yourself and your community while consistently putting pressure on the system to make tangible changes. Signing petitions, posting on social media, donating to organizations, and walking in peaceful protests are the little things that can make a difference for generations to come.
 
I refuse to let my voice be silenced and will continue to participate in peaceful protests for as long as I can. I can no longer rely on other people to make the change I want to see and instead I must use my platform and voice to make the change myself. 
 
Below is a poem I wrote projecting my feelings regarding the protest I participated in, as well as what it means to me to be black in America. I hope you will read it and let the words sink in. Before we start up the 2020-21 school year, I hope to see more of the Cal Athletics community stand up and speak out on the injustices that impact everyday lives. I could not be more proud to be a part of the Cal Athletics community and more importantly, I could not be any prouder to be a part of the Black community. 
 
Go Bears,
Preslie Anderson

Preslie Anderson is a rising senior on the Cal volleyball team


CHANGES by Preslie Anderson
they said we would no longer be enslaved
they said we would eventually blend into society
they thought they did us a favor by freeing us of our duties
they didn't think

that the magnitude and weight of our chains
would stay with us forever
is it that they didn't think
or that they didn't want to think

of the impact a powerful black man
or the force of a beautiful strong black woman
instead they would rather carefully dance around the subject

that can not be found in classrooms
but plastered over social media
in the statistics of being pulled over
in the amount of our people crowding the jail cells
because

instead of fighting for us
they would rather fight against us
institutionalized racism doesn't stop when
your white friend Sarah says
i can't imagine what you're going through but im sorry

instead
it prosperously grows into young blacks
being scared of encountering cops
trayvon martin
tamir rice
breonna taylor
eric garner
sandra bland
george floyd
dont just say their name
scream it
scream it so loud that your white neighbors get
so upset that they find themselves almost as a quarter as enraged
of that of black Americans

prove to them that white silence is oppression
prove to them that success can come from the poor neighborhoods the government refuses to acknowledge
prove to them that peaceful protests may not be enough but powerful ones will make the noise
the noise that we need to make change

show them that lebron james, tiger woods, and serena williams are one of us
and if they don't want one of us, they can't have any of us
we can't be your entertainment and shooting target, too
none of our people deserve this
the chains they chose to keep us from being too powerful

in a white supremacist society
whose president would rather use racial slurs
antagonize blacks and tweet like a bird that shouldn't know how to speak yet
it may be hard to win now

but in due time,
the chains will not be strong enough to hold us back
the rage will not be quiet enough to be deemed acceptable by the whites
the impact we will do will resemble that of
our brothers martin and malcom

oh and no we won't go silent into the night
this is only the first wave to be felt
but i can promise one thing is for sure
these chains will not hold us back any longer
because
i can't breathe
any longer in a society that accepts systemic racism

or in a society that would rather
tell me i'm too white because i have white friends
and that i act too black around my black friends
not white enough here
not black enough there
i must fit into to cookie cutter society
built on oppression and taking what's not yours

we have different versions of the same story
i had a hoodie on and loved skittles
you felt threatened because that's the only way you know how

i might've maybe sorta accidentally not on purpose
used a forged 20-dollar bill
you kneel on my neck til i die
but f that colin kaepernick guy, right?

this is your America
not mine
because in my America
blacks do not have to be afraid to jog or get pulled over
in my America, i dream of equality for all where black lives matter
matters to everyone and not just the blacks

yet instead here we are
in 2020 mourning the losses of many more brothers and sisters
because instead of letting us live free
you'd rather not have us live at all
but just wait
because these chains can't hold us anymore