[Music] We are told to keep peace, but most of the time that just means don't make anyone uncomfortable.

The idea of true peace exists in a vacuum with a scum of discrimination that clogs it.

The idea of peace is comforting.

However, the concept of justice gets placed on the backs of those not built to bear it.

But peace without justice isn't calm.

It's quiet.

And quiet can be dangerous.

Sometimes oppression isn't aggression.

Instead, the regression and denial of accountability on account of willful ignorance that this system rewards.

We call things peaceful when they're silent.

When voices are ignored, when tension is avoided, but peace that hides.

Truth isn't justice.

It's pretending.

An action that keeps the stage unmoving.

Story rewritten and lives lost.

Dr.

King once said, "True peace is not merely the absence of tension.

It is the presence of justice."

That line is powerful, but we forget what it really means.

It means peace isn't about everything looking fine on the surface.

It's about what's underneath.

Whether people are safe, whether they're treated fairly, whether the system is built for everyone and not just a few.

And if we're honest, a lot of what we call peace today is just the absence of noise, not the presence of fairness.

We can celebrate progress, and yet there's been no progress.

How am I supposed to appreciate a system curated to lead me at my own expense?

A system doomed to give leniency by color, not context.

When context is warped by bullets, blurred by tears and mirrored in the reflection of handcuffs, it's hard to trust body camera footage.

And peace is not a destination we reach and stop at.

It's something we have to keep creating every single day.

We can't quote Dr.

King in January and forget about justice by May.

We can't praise his dream while ignoring the parts of a system inherently defective.

That to King is a disservice.

To press his name onto posters, to filter his dream through white idolatry is disgusting.

Dr.

King didn't stand for quiet.

He stood for courage.

He stood for the kind of peace that costs something.

The peace that comes from truth, from tension that leads to understanding, from standing up even when it's unpopular.

As a student, I see how people confuse calm with peace all the time.

We're told to move on, to let it go, to keep things positive.

But peace isn't about pretending everything's okay.

It's about asking why it's not.

When we silence ourselves for comfort, we lose the chance for change.

When we ignore injustice because it's inconvenient, we lose the meaning of peace altogether.

True peace is built through honesty in classrooms, in conversations, and the way we treat each other when no one's watching.

It's when we choose listening over assumptions, understanding over judgment, and accountability over avoidance.

Peace is not passive.

It's not a break from reality.

It's facing reality and deciding to change it.

And that's something every generation has to do for themselves.

Dr.

King's dream wasn't for us to live quietly.

It was for us to live righteously.

He didn't want a world without tension.

He wanted a world where tension led to truth.

So when I think of true peace, I don't imagine silence.

I imagine people speaking up even when their voice shakes.

I imagine communities choosing honesty over comfort.

I imagine justice sitting at the same table as unity.

True peace means that not everyone will agree, but everyone will be heard.

That's the kind of peace Dr.

King fought for.

That's the kind of peace we still have to fight for today.

Because until justice is present, peace will always be unfinished.

And in this will be the death of a false prophet.

Oversold, neutralized, commercialized, and easy to purchase.

The revolution may not be televised, but the death of America will lay in the hands of its white savior.

And ain't that the truth.

Here with Aiden Thrash, a junior at Gold to My Ear.

Uh, Aiden, thank you so much for joining us here on Black Nouvo and congratulations on all your success.

Thank you so much.

Happy to be here.

Oh, for sure.

Sure.

Happy to have you.

So, talk about the uh inspiration for your piece.

What's the the background that went into writing it, reciting it, and creating it.

It's pretty strong stuff.

Um, I would say my main inspiration was definitely a source of anger.

Um, I thought the title with the way the country is going right now was very telling.

I think that it was a statement to have such a title of true peace when the country is in the state that it's in and obviously things are happening the way that they are happening and I find it interesting to say the least.

Well, talk about uh just what you hope your message has on people who listen maybe uh you know even you in the future just thinking about uh those who might take your message in.

What do you hope they get from it?

You are you.

You will express yourself however you're going to express yourself.

And however you express yourself is beautiful.

Literacy is an art.

It is a way that anyone can express themselves.

And articulation is such a beautiful form of expression that I feel is often overlooked and very underfunded even in schools and even in adult spaces.

So yeah.

What does your future look like?

Uh where are you going to school?

Um what do you hope to do?

Um I hope to definitely pursue forensic psychology.

forensic psychology which is a kind of criminology sort of kind of mix.

I love criminal justice obviously I'm very very socially uh I would hope to think aware and I would like to think very active in the small ways that I've tried to be including this and that um kind of socialist kind of activism that I wish to kind of share.

Yeah.

Extremely fitting.

Anything else you want to share?

Um, honestly, if you don't think you can do it, if you are worried about if you can do it, if you are questioning if it's an if and or but, don't let it be.

Um, you're capable of anything.

Anyone is capable of anything.

And justice is not singular.

Justice is not centered.

Just justice is multiaceted.

and the understanding that you can make a difference beyond the traditional difference as we call it.

Your difference could be just within your community.

Your difference could be within you.

Um your difference could be large, your difference could be small, but it is a difference and every difference makes a difference.

So yeah, I like that.

Thank you so much, Aiden, again for joining us and congratulations again.

Absolutely.

Thank you so much.

[Music]