Say Their Names

Picture if you will a world where you can't go birding, can't walk home with Skittles, can't go jogging, can't relax in the comfort of your own home, can't play loud music,  can't have a cellphone, and can't sell CDs.  Oh and in this place you also cannot  go to church, walk from the corner store, hold a hair brush while leaving your own bachelor party, can't break down on a public road with car trouble, can't cash a check in peace, can't breathe.  You really don't have to use your imagination because the place exists, and it's right here in this country.

 

So what are we going to do?  Well the answer for far too many people is that we will ignore the racism that causes this and even deny it exists.  When people come along (like Colin Kaepernick) we brand them as trouble makers and stand in the way of their employment.  Oh and when folks get fed up and take to the streets, there are still those who deny there is a problem and instead complain about the protesters. 

 

Let me tell you folks, there is indeed a problem.  Hate in has spread from coast to coast.  During the COVID-19 outbreak there has been an increase in anti-Asian attacks.  The violence against transgender people and gay, lesbian, or bisexual folks also happens all over this country.  Despite the small progress and anti-hate legislation, hate is still a big deal, especially against African Americans.

 

I tried to check this morning for a number of how many Black people have been killed in the US by police officers.  Despite tons of reports, I could not find a final tally.  It seems to grow every day though and so many sit on their hands and do nothing.  We are talking about human beings.  Nobody, not even the most heinous monster deserves to be shot in cold blood.  That's not how civilized people live.

 

Let me admit that I don't have the answers.  I wish it was a quick and easy thing, but hate has been around forever.  I do know that nothing will be solved by denial or by more hatred.  Let's listen to our hearts and do what is right because Black Lives Matter and they ALWAYS have, even though it sure doesn't seem that way a lot of the time.  Let's get involved.  Let's work together.  Let's build a trust.
 

And as we do that, let us not forget all those lives cut short.  Say their names.

 

Randy Evans
Amadou Diallo
Yvonne Smallwood
Sandra Bland
Clifford Glover
John Crawford
Terrence Crutcher
Philando Castile
Keith Scott
Claude Reese
Christian Cooper
Amaud Arbery
Jonathan Ferrell
Renisha McBride
Bothem Sean
Atatiana Jefferson
Stephon Clark
Alton Sterling
Jordan Davis
Mike Brown
Tamir Rice
Trayvon Martin
Oscar Grant
Eric Garner
Freddie Gray
Walter Scott
Clementa C. Pinckney
Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd
Susie Jackson
Ethel Lee Lance
Depayne Middleton-Doctor
Tywanza Sanders
Daniel L. Simmons
Sharonda Coleman-Singleton
Myra Thompson
Corey Jones
Sean Bell
George Floyd