Serena Milne, protester and organizer with the Black Lives Matter Movement. Photo and Interview.
Title
Serena Milne, protester and organizer with the Black Lives Matter Movement. Photo and Interview.
Subject
A photo and interview from a local youth protester and organizer on the intersection between the Covid-19 Pandemic and BLM Movement.
Description
Z- What is your name and age?
S- My name is Serena Milne, I'm 21 years old.
Z- How have you been personally affected by the Covid-19 pandemic?
S- My uncle got Covid-19 in March when he was traveling from NYC to Florida for work. He was hospitalized and died two weeks later. During this quarantine, I also got laid off from my job at PetSmart due to Covid-19.
Z- I'm so sorry for your loss. My brother-in-law was very close to death. That must have been horrible. How do you think the world has changed in the past few months?
S- Thank you. I'm sorry your brother-in-law went through it as well. I think that every facet of life has changed within the past few months. Human impact on the Earth is becoming more obvious, hence the pandemic. Racism and police brutality are an ongoing issue, and once George Floyd was murdered, the nation erupted. Our nation has shown the world that black people will still be murdered by the police, even during a viral pandemic. There is a racial reckoning occurring in every state and I am here for it. The entire world is looking at America like the bad little cousin. It's embarrassing how behind we are on handling the pandemic and societal, racial issues.
Z- Why are you out protesting today/why do you protest?
S- I protest because there are people who do not have the confidence to use their voice and privilege to help others. I protest to serve as a wall between the police, Proud Boys, and black people, POC and fellow women. If the police or the white supremacists were trying to inflict harm on one of the protesters, I need to be what gets in between them. White people need to use our privilege to protect black people and POC.
Z- What does police reform mean to you?
S- Police reform means exactly the opposite of what we are seeing them do right now. SAPD actually handled the last protest without violence, but many have failed to do that. Police reform starts with relocating over funded departments, more requirements and extensive testing to determine a persons eligibility into the academy based on psychological evaluations, ban wartime weaponry like tear gas, diversify and improve departments ability to handle sensitive issues, without shooting as an instinct, and police accountability. Just because Sunday didn't end in violence does not mean that we don't need to hold some police officers accountable for slapping the Proud Boys on the back in support. We need to work as a community to improve out departments so black people are not murdered based on racism.
Z- Do you think the world is changing for the better?
S- I think a lot of evil is being exposed so we can address it and change it. The people I have met at the protests are full of passion and determination to make this world a better place. So all though I wish it didn't take the recent disturbing events like George Floyd's and Breonna Taylor's deaths, I do think the revolution is among us, and the world is going to change for the better.
Z- How do you think Covid-19 has influenced people in their urgency to commit social action?
S- At first, even I had some hesitation to form large groups to protest because of the virus. But as we can see, black people are not going to stop being murdered because of the pandemic. I know a lot of people that wanted to show up on Sunday but didn't due to being immuno-compromised, or having someone in their immediate life that is at risk. I respect that entirely. I was proud of the fact that almost everyone on our side was wearing a mask.
Z- Finally, how do you think this era will be remembered?
S- When MLK and the Civil Rights movement came through St. Augustine in 1964, the were viewed even worse than we are now. We will be remembered as the second wave of Civil Rights to touch down in the oldest city in the nation, despite the backlash we are receiving. I believe that BLM will be the group that represents the right side of history just as the Civil rights movement does.
Z- Thank you so much.
S-Thank you so much!
S- My name is Serena Milne, I'm 21 years old.
Z- How have you been personally affected by the Covid-19 pandemic?
S- My uncle got Covid-19 in March when he was traveling from NYC to Florida for work. He was hospitalized and died two weeks later. During this quarantine, I also got laid off from my job at PetSmart due to Covid-19.
Z- I'm so sorry for your loss. My brother-in-law was very close to death. That must have been horrible. How do you think the world has changed in the past few months?
S- Thank you. I'm sorry your brother-in-law went through it as well. I think that every facet of life has changed within the past few months. Human impact on the Earth is becoming more obvious, hence the pandemic. Racism and police brutality are an ongoing issue, and once George Floyd was murdered, the nation erupted. Our nation has shown the world that black people will still be murdered by the police, even during a viral pandemic. There is a racial reckoning occurring in every state and I am here for it. The entire world is looking at America like the bad little cousin. It's embarrassing how behind we are on handling the pandemic and societal, racial issues.
Z- Why are you out protesting today/why do you protest?
S- I protest because there are people who do not have the confidence to use their voice and privilege to help others. I protest to serve as a wall between the police, Proud Boys, and black people, POC and fellow women. If the police or the white supremacists were trying to inflict harm on one of the protesters, I need to be what gets in between them. White people need to use our privilege to protect black people and POC.
Z- What does police reform mean to you?
S- Police reform means exactly the opposite of what we are seeing them do right now. SAPD actually handled the last protest without violence, but many have failed to do that. Police reform starts with relocating over funded departments, more requirements and extensive testing to determine a persons eligibility into the academy based on psychological evaluations, ban wartime weaponry like tear gas, diversify and improve departments ability to handle sensitive issues, without shooting as an instinct, and police accountability. Just because Sunday didn't end in violence does not mean that we don't need to hold some police officers accountable for slapping the Proud Boys on the back in support. We need to work as a community to improve out departments so black people are not murdered based on racism.
Z- Do you think the world is changing for the better?
S- I think a lot of evil is being exposed so we can address it and change it. The people I have met at the protests are full of passion and determination to make this world a better place. So all though I wish it didn't take the recent disturbing events like George Floyd's and Breonna Taylor's deaths, I do think the revolution is among us, and the world is going to change for the better.
Z- How do you think Covid-19 has influenced people in their urgency to commit social action?
S- At first, even I had some hesitation to form large groups to protest because of the virus. But as we can see, black people are not going to stop being murdered because of the pandemic. I know a lot of people that wanted to show up on Sunday but didn't due to being immuno-compromised, or having someone in their immediate life that is at risk. I respect that entirely. I was proud of the fact that almost everyone on our side was wearing a mask.
Z- Finally, how do you think this era will be remembered?
S- When MLK and the Civil Rights movement came through St. Augustine in 1964, the were viewed even worse than we are now. We will be remembered as the second wave of Civil Rights to touch down in the oldest city in the nation, despite the backlash we are receiving. I believe that BLM will be the group that represents the right side of history just as the Civil rights movement does.
Z- Thank you so much.
S-Thank you so much!
Creator
Zachariah Brown
Date
July 29, 2020
Contributor
Zachariah Brown
Format
Photograph and written interview
Language
English
Citation
Zachariah Brown, “Serena Milne, protester and organizer with the Black Lives Matter Movement. Photo and Interview.,” accessed April 25, 2024, https://publichumanities.omeka.net/items/show/29.