Photo Credit: Tarn Ellis (Instagram @tarenelisart)
I've been struggling with what I want to put into words for the past few days. To be honest, I am scared at how I will be perceived. I am afraid that my words will be taken out of context and that people will "judge me" for speaking up. I am also afraid that if I don't speak up that I would be called a non supporter of the issue. I had a conversation with both of my really good friends today on if I should even speak about this matter. We talked about not being an advocate by staying silent and being picked apart for voicing my opinion on the issue. It breaks my heart to not to be able to express what I feel without the repercussions of being attacked for not understanding or not taking a side. This past weekend like many of you my heart was heavy & I was very uncomfortable and something didn't feel right. My heart breaks to see what happened to George Floyd, and the many others who have died because of police brutality. My heart and condolences go out to his family who just lost their son. This needs to STOP now. I wanted to say so much, but I couldn't get the words out of my mouth. I was sad, scared, appalled, angry, & helpless about the events unfolding in front of me. I wanted to share with my children about hat they saw on TV. But I keep thinking to myself, where do I start? Do I tell them they live in a world that is unfair and unjust? That they are born into a world that is unfair, and that they will be judged based on the color of their skin? That I am perceived on a daily based on my color of skin. That I have endured racism ever since I was a child and continue to face these challenges daily? As a mom, I wanted to protect my children from all this. But not sharing what is going on in the world is not protecting them. I have learned to have ongoing conversations with my children and educate them about what is going on in the world.
I wish that we can all see the world through the lens of of my 6 year old who doesn't judge others by the color of their skin or the way they look. He doesn't judge his friends or people by how much money they have, their social economic status, their education, or where they live or where they are from. He doesn't see the racism, hatred, and discrimination of our unjust world. To him the world is beautiful and perfect.
Our society is so judgmental and quick to put labels on people. People are so easy to judge one another based on what they say or don't say. I challenge you to put yourselves in their shoes, silence doesn't mean they don't care. We do not know what they are processing or going through. Everyone process information differently. It may take people days to reflect on how they feel. While others can articulate their thoughts very quickly and eloquently. Does it make one person better than another? Of course not. Silence could mean anything. YOU don't know what others are thinking. Today, I ask you to not judge people for not speaking up, or judge them for speaking what they feel is right. Instead of pointing finger at who is racist or who isn't, who understands and who doesn't understand. Who stands for the issue or against the issue? I challenge us to collectively find a solution to eradicate this issue together. To stand together, to educate one another and to not point blame on someone who may or may not have experience racism first hand based on their color of their skin. We do not choose the color of our skin, but we can stand together collectively and find solutions how to fix the problem. We can have open ongoing dialogue about the issue of race and find solutions or organizations that can help us. We can write to our state leaders and legislators, we can vote and help make these changes. But pointing fingers at who is racist, who is speaking up, and who is not isn't going to solve the problem we are facing. It's not a blame game. Period. If we want to see positive changes we have to think positively and move in a direction that help the younger generation and activists. WE need to provide them with tools to help them succeed. Looting, vandalism, violence and hate for one another is not the solution. I leave with you a quote from our former president, Barack Obama: "If going forward, we can channel our justifiable anger into peaceful, sustained, and effective action, then this movement can be a real turning point in our nation's long journey to live up to our highest ideals. Let's get to work." If we stand united together we can make a difference.
Here are some resources that I found helpful for ways to get involved:
I would love to hear your thoughts on the issue. Thanks for stopping by! Xo
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