I write for me. And for the 5 or 6 friends and family who read what I write because, well, because they probably feel obligated to do so. But in all honesty, I write because there is either something which has peaked my interest in some way, or something which has affected me to such an extent that it becomes imperative for me to get it down on paper. Today is one of those days.
Racism is the knee being pressed into America’s neck. And we can’t breathe.
It’s hard to believe that in this year, 2020, we continue along this dark and incredibly brutal path where racist police officers – and racist citizens – kill unarmed human beings simply because of the color of their skin. And yet here we are. Again.
If you are not intelligent or evolved enough to understand that skin color is only a covering, I pity you. Skin covers a beating heart. It covers veins and arteries which deliver blood throughout a human’s circulatory system. It covers a skull, protecting a brain, which contains an individual’s mind and soul. It covers muscle and fat, and it covers the organs which do their daily work of keeping us alive. It comes in different colors, but it serves the same purpose regardless. It is merely a shell.
The streets are on fire. They are on fire because someone, a police officer in this most recent case, decided the life of black man was not worth protecting as he pressed his knee into the man’s neck, choking off his oxygen supply. Willingly. Supported by 3 other officers who did nothing to stop the murder. And make no mistake, it was murder. Pure and simple. That police officer is a murderer, and his fellow police officers are accomplices. Any one of them could have stopped this at any point in time, saving a human being’s life. They chose not to.
I don’t know how we fix rampant racism when we have elected officials – taking their cues from an inept and well-documented racist president – who appear to condone this behavior by their lackluster response. After all, it took days – and protests and riots – before this murderer was arrested, even with clear and compelling video evidence and multiple witnesses. I do believe that to begin the process we should all be outraged and vow to make our voices heard. No life has more value than another’s. No life has less value. Not even the despicable officer that murdered George Floyd. Almost 250 years after this country was formerly established we should be one people.
Not even close.
As Albus Dumbledore of Harry Potter fame said, “Dark and difficult times lie ahead. Soon we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.” I believe we are there.
It’s easy to look the other way. To be silent. To not want to see the violence in front of you. Harder to stand up for someone you don’t know. But if ever there was a time to stand up, to do what’s right, well, this would be it. Our country is teetering on the brink of something terrible. It’s like being on the edge of an abyss and looking down into the darkness. Let’s not go there. Let’s lift our heads up and look this evil straight in the eye and commit to the love and support and protection of those whose necks are under the knee of racists every single day.
They can’t breathe. We can’t breathe. America can’t breathe. And we all need to breathe to survive.
#BlackLivesMatter
🙏 Namaste
~jwb~