Benjamin Smith and Marcus Ellis, two best friends of different races, are the change they want to see in the world.
These young men portray an image that we want to see more often in the society and show that race should never be the reason why people feel distant, instead, the differences should only make them closer and more accepting of one another.
Smith, who is Caucasian, and Ellis, who is African American, have been friends for many years. But today, they want to show everyone how the death of George Floyd, a black man killed by a white police officer, that touched them deeply didn’t brought them apart, on the contrary, they became even closer and want to share the message that people can be only good and bad and never judged based on their race or appearance.
“I fought for a free America, a just America. And when I heard about the George Floyd incident, I just, it really really upset me. That’s not what I fought for,” Smith who is a former marine said.
Both Smith and Ellis support the movement Black Lives Matter, but are convinced the protests shouldn’t be nothing but peaceful, because that is the only way the message of everyone taking part in that movement to be spread.
In order to raise people’s awareness of the fact that violence is never an option, these two came with a great idea. They put some signs in front of Smith’s home saying, “Black or White” and “Relax and have a beer” and placed an extra chair for those who want to join them and share a drink with them.
Interestingly enough, many people who saw the friends chilling decided to stop and chat about the unrest that is happening in the country and what could be done for things to get better in the future.
The friends’ “movement” on their own reached the news and many agree how what they do to fight hate and racism is awesome.
Although they are perfectly aware things will take time to be put on the right path in America, they are glad they are serving as an example of how people who are “different” should come together.