On Monday, November 24, 2014, the world awaited the outcome of a grand jury hearing on the murder of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was shot down by Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson. The verdict of this hearing, which was held to determine whether Wilson would be indicted for the shooting, was that Wilson would not be prosecuted. It could not have come at a worse time.

The people in the town of Ferguson are crying out in pain and anger because yet another unarmed black male was shot down due to a racial injustice. The pain may never go away but the memory will forever go on.

It is a sad state in America when men and women cannot walk down the streets anymore without fear of being harassed by a cop who has yet again abused his power and authority. The ones truly affected by this travesty are the parents of Michael Brown. They have to live every day without their son.

This is not just a racial issue, but a humanitarian issue. Until society comes together as one we will continue to have these injustices. We have to get past the pain and unite together, but rioting and looting will not change how we are viewed in this world. We cannot burn down our towns and businesses to eradicate the unfairness we’ve faced.

It is true, Darren Wilson not being indicted was not fair, but what has happened in Ferguson will not change anything. This shows us at an all-time low. It shows ignorance and calamity in the black community. This is not the way to remember our fallen victims.

We need to band together and rationalize how we can come together as people. We need to educate ourselves and run our own businesses, and create our own police force if the ones sent to protect us are doing us more harm than good. The moment mothers and fathers worry about sending their children off to school or to the store and wonder if they will come back home, we know there is something seriously wrong in the justice system and in America, period.

Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Emmett Till, Oscar Grant and countless others will never be forgotten; but until we come together to try and change our justice system which has failed, things will stay the same. We must learn to become the change that we want.

Although it appears that black lives are not a matter of importance in America, we must learn to love and value ourselves and want to do better in this world. We need to know that we are important, we matter and we can make things happen in our society.