During a month in which there has been so much pain and conflict in this country, Paul Millsap took to Twitter to remind his followers that oftentimes, these things are preludes to positive change when it comes to social reform.

In my opinion, Millsap’s message is a very important one. It’s vital that when pursuing change, we are not deterred by negative feelings such as pain, anger and sadness that are often times entangled in these movements. If we let these emotions prevent us from pursuing change in regards to systemic racism and police brutality, particularly as it relates to black men and women, then change will never happen. Instead, we must feel these emotions, understand what events in American history have lead us here, and then fight through the pain while making sure we do everything in our power to prevent these issues from continuing and affecting future generations.

So, as we head into the last full week of June, hopefully Millsap’s message stays with us as we continue to witness and participate in the movement that is overtaking the country. While we may feel pain and sadness now, hopefully these emotions will lead to reform that seeks to put an end to racism as we know it.