Because of what is going on in our country, I cannot write a normal post. Our country is grieving and our country is in big trouble.
Our Black Sisters and Brothers are in constant danger even when doing normal things…. like running, bird watching and merely walking to the store.
I grew up in the South and know exactly what they went through…let me rephrase that…I haven’t a clue what they went through as I sat in my safe farmhouse with my wonderful white parents. I was born white. I came with a safe skin color.
Something has to change and I don’t have the answer but treating others with respect, helping when we can, offering a big “I care” smile to those we meet will be a great way to start. We need a softer, kinder more thoughtful way of thinking.
The last thing we need now is to be dominant over those who are already suffering. That is the weak way out.
Systemic racism has existed in the US for way too long and we need to recognize it and finally say…enough!
Martin Luther King Jr. was right when he said,
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
The killing…yes, George Floyd was murdered. The policeman didn’t regard his life as important. The policemen who were also there were immune to his pleas for breath, even as bystanders begged for the policeman to release his knee.
Death doesn’t come with a return policy.
The looting…that’s wrong but that isn’t what this is about….it is about Basic Human Rights.
Turning on peaceful protesters with rubber bullets and tear gas was inexcusable. It was reprehensible. And all for a phony photo opt…really?
So the question remains…what can we do….what can you do…what can I do. Since I am not one who marches and protests in the streets I asked myself this very question.
I can vote. I can write the congressmen and women who have become complicit in their jobs and their duty to the American People. Those who look the other way when things are done that are wrong because they fear retribution. Those who have decided it is safer to be silent than to speak their truth.
We are all one. We may look different and we may think different but it is this very difference that makes America great.
If anything in this post offends you I apologize. I had to say what was in my heart as it weeps.
