On the early evening of July 7, I witnessed something first-hand that brought a shock to my head and tears to my eyes. As I was sitting in my car in downtown New York City, I heard loud, thunderous shouting behind me.

I walked down the block to see what was going on and there I saw thousands of persons walking up Broadway, blocking traffic with placards in hand.

As I got closer, I heard their chants: “Hell no, these racist cops have got to go!”

This was in direct result to the latest shooting deaths of two young black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, by police officers on July 5 and 6 respectively.

On the sidelines, hundreds of police officers stood by and watched. One could clearly sense deep concern that things had reached a tipping point. It was writ all over their faces.

Unfortunately, later that night their fears came to life with the unprecedented killing of five police officers during peaceful protests in Dallas, Texas. Things really had taken a turn for the worse in America.

What was shocking to me was not that people were protesting or shouting “Black Lives Matter” or “Racism must end”, but it was that the majority of the protesters — about 70 per cent — were young white persons ranging in age from 20 to 40.

During the march, one of the protesters took me by the hand and raised her fist in a sign of solidarity. Somewhat shocked, I asked her why was she out here protesting on an issue that does not directly affect her. With tears in her eyes, she replied with a tight hug and said: “You are my brother and I want you to have as much of a chance to live as I do. I won’t let you be killed.”

At that moment in my life, something welled up inside of me that I would be hard-pressed to describe.

Nowhere in my lifetime have I, or most persons that I know, ever seen so many white people stand up in public for issues affecting black people. In my own country, one can literally count on one hand how many whites will come out and protest on issues affecting black Bermudians.

Oh yes, there will be the “liberal-minded” folks who post quotes of Martin Luther King on Facebook or will send an inbox here and there that say they understand why blacks are “upset”. Yet they will still attempt to rationalise to themselves and others why they will not come out in public to speak on these issues.

It is disheartening to know that in the year 2016, anyone looking like my father, my cousins or my sons can lose their life at the hands of a racist police officer. Yet, at the same time, what I witnessed that evening let me know that there are people who do not look like us who will stand up for us.

For centuries in Bermuda, we have been conditioned to know that when it comes to issues affecting blacks we have no one standing by our sides but other blacks. There are no white knights in shining armour coming to save us from white oppression.

We are on our own.

However, there are those whites who have and will stand by our side through thick and thin. We must embrace them, encourage them and help to educate them to appreciate what we are going through.

To the whites in Bermuda and other countries who speak about equality and human rights in regards to same-sex issues, I say this: what I witnessed in New York was a true show of Asians, blacks, whites, Latino, gay and straight standing up for human life.

If you truly wish to see society progress on all matters of equality, you can no longer stand on the sidelines.

If young whites in America, which arguably is one of the most racist countries in modern history, can stand up and fight for blacks, then I implore those of you who believe in equal rights and justice for all that you can no longer be silent — you must be prepared to stand with us.