CHANGE Fact: Last year, Iceland held a day of vigilance out of respect for their first citizen shot by police in it’s 44 year old history. An entire country stopped to mourn the loss over one of their own, to pray for compassion and strength, and to find hope in peace. Fact: Today, the United states lost one of their own. No, Michael Brown did not die today. His death was far from the first, and nowhere near the last. But the faith of great many faded today. Instead of a day spent in reflection, we opted to blame one another, to fight and judge, and in so doing, continue to shroud the voices of millions of the innocent and unheard. A quick scroll through my newsfeed this morning and it becomes resoundingly clear: the problem isn’t in the decision, its in what it represents. A deep racial division exists in this country, and its best exemplified not by the tragic loss of a life, but in our reactions to it. Some have chosen to go as far as to say that Michael Brown deserved it, and that race isn’t an issue anymore, only by those who choose to see it. In the past, I would have had my own spiteful retorts to answer many of your insanely ignorant posts. But Dr. King cautioned that darkness cannot drive out darkness. If we continue to live this way, to harbor this anger and judgment in our hearts, we are sure to plunge into the dark abyss, an immoral haven where everyone’s to blame but no one is held accountable. 50 years ago, Dr. King reminded us of that. He spoke of an unrealized dream, and today more than ever, its apparent we need to keep striving. It is often said that most times we don’t know the difference between right and wrong, but when we do, it nearly always includes a body count. The most unfortunate and painful truth in America today is that a black person’s life matters less than a white person’s; I don’t know why, but it does. A friend of mine reminds me of Langston Hughes’ optic lament: Im so tired of waiting arent you, for the world to become good and beautiful and kind?” I really am. My thoughts go out to millions of souls who woke up today with heavy hearts. I don’t blame you for anger. It’s expected; some would go so far as to say that its even earned. But let us remember that victory can also be defined not by the measures we go to respond to fear and hatred, but by the efforts we go to ignore it. Change in the world will not arise from highlighting the many ways in which we are different; someday, we must point out the insurmountable ways in which we are exactly the same.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 20:06:17 +0000
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