In lieu of the most recent events, I find it appropriate to write this.
For those of you who don't know, Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, a husband and dad of five kids was shot and killed by a policeman in Baton Rouge. The full story is attached.
Adding to that, Philando Castile, a 32-year-old black man and fiancee was shot and killed by a policeman in Falcon Heights, Minnesota during a routine traffic stop.
Being a white person after events like these feels helpless. I feel like no matter what I say will come off as ignorant. I will say this though: BLACK LIVES MATTER.
This isn't to say that no other lives do, it's just saying that as of right now, this is the area we need to focus on. It's like going into an exam room and being checked for a broken arm. You wouldn't tell the doctor that all bones matter because you realize that your arm is what needs attention right now. Your arm is the one in pain, in essence your arm is the one who needs to be made equal with the rest of your bones.
The #BlackLivesMatter movement is not an attempt to put black people over anyone else. It is a movement in order to make them equal.
As if these two events weren't enough sad news for the week, five officers were shot and killed in Dallas and seven others were wounded while two civilians were also wounded. This followed a peaceful protest in Dallas for police brutality. When I say peaceful I mean cops were posing with and shaking hands with the protesters.
As Gandhi once said, "an eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind." As frustrating and disheartening it is to see innocent African-Americans gunned down for their race, it is important to know that you can not defeat hate with more hate.
As a white person, I think it is sometimes hard for us to stand up and get involved in the conversation because we feel ignorant since we don't know what it is like to be discriminated against every day.
We don't know the feeling of being looked up and down in the super market, we don't know the feeling of someone crossing the road because they feel unsafe to be near us, we don't know the feeling of being fearful of the law because it has done us so much injustice. We don't have to stand up for the most basic human right: life.
Following the Orlando shooting at Pulse nightclub, the topic of gun control arose again. Many people urged for change in gun control while others defended their right to a concealed carry. Both of these men were killed because they held a concealed carry, which, to many, is a basic right of an American. The right to protection, but they never thought their protection would be their death sentence.
It is important to remember that as we begin to bring up a new generation, we bring up change as well. Don't teach your kids that life is hard and things aren't fair, teach your kids to love everyone regardless of race, religion, or sexuality.
Don't go to bed thinking "where is the love?" Go to bed thinking of the love that this country so desperately needs. With that being said, please continue to pray for all of those who have recently lost their lives too soon. Whether it be due to race, sexuality, religion, of uniform, everybody is somebody's something and no one deserves a life cut short.
