BWAP 2025: Something Has to Break ~ Aaliyah Golden

“Break with a purpose.”

For many people here at Pres House, BWAP is a time during winter break when a small group of people go on a meaningful trip. But after going on this trip and seeing our history where it happened, I found myself asking, “What does it mean to really ‘break’ with a purpose?” In case it may be hard to follow, when I ask this question, I am no longer talking about the winter break. I am speaking of the verb; the action of breaking.

On this trip, I saw so many things that were broken by the violence of racism – people, communities, homes, places of worship, hearts – but what I found to be the most significant was the breaking of silence. Barry McNealy was our walking tour guide on one of the days we went through Birmingham. Mr. McNealy took us through Kelly Ingram Park across from 16th Baptist Church. Mr. McNealy shared with us the history of the Children’s Crusades. He ventured into how the children, ages ranging from 6-18 years old, skipped classes and came together to lift their voices as they marched through downtown Birmingham in protest of racial segregation. The first day every single student was arrested. Over 1,000 students were placed under custody. The very next day the children went out in protest again, and this time they were met with the police and their dogs, as well as the firefighters and their hoses, which were strong enough to take the bark off of the nearby holly trees.

My ancestors worked so incredibly hard to be heard. They faced chains, whips, imprisonment, hoses, dogs, bombs, poverty, nooses, genocide, and the list certainly doesn’t end there. What absolute horrors my ancestors, our siblings, have faced! But these horrors didn’t stop them. Despite overwhelming pressure, they didn’t silence their cries, screams, songs, protests, and love. I am living proof that they were heard. They were brave enough to break the silence.

On our way to Birmingham one day, our team read Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” together in the van. In the letter, King says, “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.” Silence is easy. When the perfect words fail us; when we don’t allow ourselves to engage in fear of what others might think of us; when we don’t want to take up too much space or attract too much attention; or when we fear what speaking out might mean for us; it is just so easy to be silent. But today, I would like to extend an invitation from those who have paved the path before me: Break the silence. It might be hard and uncomfortable, but we cannot overcome injustice if we do not speak about it. Have the hard conversations; be vulnerable; speak out; fail and try again; yell; cry; sing; share your story; and stir up some good trouble! Be heard.

Aaliyah Golden (she/her) is a sophomore studying botany.

Photo: An installation at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.