The protests changed me in a lot of ways. One way was, I was by no means a class reductionist before. But the protests really woke me up to the real struggles of oppressed communities in the US and importantly, the revolutionary potential in those communities. I remember listening to Rev Left in my car and had to pull over for a minute to absorb it when Breht said something to the effect of "what did white socialists in America ever give us?! Bernie Sanders!? Fuck that! The real revolutionary potential is with oppressed communities."
I had agreed with BLM ideologically before, but it was the first time I actually conceptualized the danger of being black in America. The cops will really just use any excuse to fuck with you or hurt you and a large swath of white society will gleefully cheer it on.
Edit: Let me rephase this for clarity. I did not walk away understanding the black experience, I did walk away with a clear knowledge of what white privilege means.
cop sees black person
Is that an air-freshner hanging from your rear-view mirror?
Pull over.