Change comes to every generation, and some faster than others. For much of human history, it has been science and technology that man has advanced with relative haste.

There have been times of slower change (think the stalling in technology and innovation due to the Dark Ages), and times of very quick transformation (like electronic communication). 

In the moment, for all of these, it probably seemed that change and advancement was happening slower than hopes. Flying cars still aren’t a thing, but video phone calls didn’t take too long to get rolling. However, even when the newest iPhone comes out, everyone is as interested in the next version and what new bells and whistles there will be. Will the 3D imagery get better? Will the digital phone calls have a more crisp and clear sound? Will translation and transcription services ever get to 100%? And please, for the love of everything holy in this world, can we get a consistent and useful autocorrect feature?

And while all the gripes about these techs can seem annoying in the moment, the change of our technologies is at a lightning pace as compared to human’s ability to change the social structure.

The current protests across the nation — and here in our small, rural hometown — are a direct response to the slow change that has gripped our country (and the world) since its creation. 

The Black Lives Matter movement (originally known as “Black Lives *Also* Matter), wants justice and equality for everyone. Why some people are against this change is befuddling to me. 

From the inception of this country, non-whites have always been treated as less-than-worthy by the ruling class. From the genocide of the Native American populations, to the slavery 3/5ths rule of Africans kidnapped from their homes and villages, to the desire to build a wall to keep out “others” — this country has been a white man’s paradise for far too long. 

One by one, slow steps have been taken to include minorities. The slaves were freed, only to have Jim Crow laws keep the vast majority of blacks as second-class citizens at best for another 100 years. Women gained the ability to vote, but it still took decades to enter the workforce en masse. Native Americans were given small plots of land as a “sorry” to having the entire continent stolen out from under them.

And while change has been made little by little, society (especially in America) is built and structured to suppress anyone that is not white and male.

To deny that is to not open one’s eyes and put hands over their ears. This is happening. This is a thing.

Police brutality and systemic racism are not new in America — it is simply being caught on camera. I back the badge in the sense that I understand their job is incredibly hard. There are scumbags in this world — and they are of all colors, shapes and genders. There is a lot of evil in this world. Police officers have long been revered for maintaining the peace. And while a couple of bad eggs have been filmed — and even worse, let off the hook — committing crimes against those they swore to serve, the trends are systemic. 

This is not a debate any longer. It’s a matter of where do you fit in tomorrow’s history that’s being written today.

I was pleasantly surprised when the BLM protests on Monroe’s Square were organized by young, white high school students. They were looking out not just for justice of strangers in faraway cities, but for their friends who live in an exceptionally white community. There’s no way to sugar coat it — rural Wisconsin is very predominately white. Despite that, every person deserves the same equalities, the same chance at prosperity and the same respect as their neighbors. It’s time to end all of the systemic inequalities, both on the books and in our hearts. Society has taken long enough and it is due time for a societal autocorrect.

— Adam Krebs is a reporter for the Times and a 2004 MHS graduate. He can be reached at akrebs@themonroetimes.net.