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"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dear reader,

I know your humanity is not dead. Your soul is not dead. If you are reading this - the spark is still alive.

This is my plea to your humanity: to be on the right side of the history. I know there are so many dividers—religion, caste, color—all fed to us by oppressors who succeed in killing the fire of humanity by planting seeds of fear in our hearts.

It’s time to take a stand. It’s time to take a stand for humanity. It’s time to educate our brothers and sisters to take a stand for humanity. To educate them about the horrors committed by the people in power.

Some of you might think - People in power have to do some bad things to stay in power so they can help more people in other ways. Read that sentence again. Staying in power is not the goal of democracy. Helping people is - even if that means you lose your position.

When you say, oh, what can I do? The powerful are gonna do what they want to do. I can’t do anything to stop them. My friend, you are underestimating the power of your voice. The power of your existence.

Instead of siding with the oppressor - you call out the injustice (Staying quiet is siding with the oppressor)

If you say - You are staying away from all the cruelty in the world because it messes with your peace. My love, you are acting like the pigeon who closed its eyes when the cat came to eat it. It chose to unsee the cat instead of using the power of its wings and fly. You are choosing to unsee the injustice instead of using your power of voice.

You think you are safe because you are higher in the hierarchy. But the thing about hierarchy is that there is always someone above you.

Someone more privileged than you.

Someone with the power to oppress you.

Now, if you are done ignoring and wondering, what can I do? No one is going to listen to me. I cannot make a difference. You are again underestimating your power. The power of your privilege in this society.

You can make a difference.

How?

By fulfilling your duty. We all know - Power comes with responsibility.

Now, what is the responsibility of a privileged person? (If you are reading these words - you are privileged. You have the privilege of knowledge, of resources, of network.)

Your responsibility is to protect the unprivileged.
Your duty is to protect and uplift.
Your duty is to speak against injustice.
Your duty is to speak for human rights.
Your duty is to speak up.

If you say, “I don’t care about injustice and I’ll just protect my peace”. My friend, I send you courage to face yourself in the mirror. You are an oppressor. May God bless you with love.

-Arsh Kaur

Love and Freedom for all.

“A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.”
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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