Editor’s note: Dai’Tynn Coppage-Walker is a Black woman and a junior in journalism and mass communication at Iowa State. The “I Can’t Breathe Project” is part of “Voices,” a project by the Iowa State Daily that seeks to facilitate civil discourse and build awareness about diversity on Iowa State’s campus. Coppage-Walker’s views are her own and do not reflect the Black community and the Black Lives Matter movement as a whole.

Telling Black people’s stories and dealing with oppression has begun. I have decided to create the “I Can’t Breathe Project” so we do not have to hide our feelings any longer. I want us to use our voice and to express our feelings of oppression we have endured. We have a right to express ourselves. 

The “I Can’t Breathe” title comes from the traumatizing last words George Floyd was yelling when a Minneapolis police officer pinned him down by placing his knee on his neck for over eight minutes until he died. I have decided to use this chant because not only does it demonstrate the situation of George Floyd and police brutality, but “I Can’t Breathe” also relates to the bad experiences the Black community has suffered for the last 400 years.

I Can’t Breathe, when I go to the store with my hoodie on

I Can’t Breathe, when I am the only Black person in my class or at work

I Can’t Breathe, when I see another Black person on TV killed unarmed by the police

I Can’t Breathe, when a cop pulls me over for just a “tail light”

The last words George Floyd was screaming mirrors the anxiety and pain we feel when we encounter these types of situations. I get extreme anxiety when I walk into a store with a black hoodie on because I do not know if I am going to get followed around for looking like a “criminal.” Who knows if I am going to be handcuffed for just the color of my skin. The real questions are, “When is this all going to end?” and “Why do we have to repeat the same traumatic experiences over and over?”

The death of Floyd has been broadcast worldwide and has woken people up to the dangers in our society. After the incident with George Floyd, many people from all over the world protested until the police officers involved were arrested. 

This is also not the only racial incident that happened in the past few months.

On March 13, Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her home by the police who had entered her home with a warrant to search for illegal drugs. But according to a suit filed by her family, no drugs were found.

On May 16, DarQuan Jones was assaulted by three white men and he was found with multiple injuries. Ahmaud Arbery was shot on February 23 when a white father and son named Gregory and Travis McMichael spotted Arbery running in the neighborhood. They told police they suspected him of being a burglar and they tried to stop him. But a video of the incident, leaked on May 5, told a different story. Police arrested the two men in the killing of Arbery along with William “Roddie” Bryan Jr., who had filmed the incident. 

This needs to stop.

After 400 years of violent, systematic oppression, we still have not gotten our freedom. Our voices are still in the shadows of white supremacy. No matter how hard we fight, a white noise is always blocking our entry.

These past incidents have put me in a position where I want to better for our people. I want our voices to be heard, I want people to know how successful we are, I want people to understand who we are from our own perspectives. We cannot let these things that are causing us to stay oppressed continue. It is time for us to share our voice. If we want people to understand who we are, we need to have our own platform to tell our stories.