As I’ve watched the pain unfolding around us since the murder of George Floyd, I’ve done what I always do in difficult times, I stopped to listen to the people who are hurting the most. I want to understand the path they are walking and understand their pain. I have been doing my best to speak kind words of support to people around me, but I didn’t feel it was my place to speak yet. Let’s face it, there are too many white people talking already. So I felt it was best to just listen and let others speak. Then last night my heart was crushed when I saw the video below posted in my Facebook Feed by one of my dearest old friends Liz. I hadn’t considered how important it would be for my friends of color to hear me speak up for them. Liz, I have thought constantly about you and your family this whole time and love you so much. I owe so much of my understanding of what it means to live the African American life to your family, especially your mom. Seeing your post, I realized how important it was for me to stand up and speak so that all my wonderful friends of color would know how much they mean to me. I don’t claim to understand, but I do want to draw a line and be clear that I have your back in this fight. So, for all my friends of color, from my dear old friends like Liz and Kim to new friends like Emily and Raheel, this is for all of you.
America was stolen from Native Americans, built on the backs of African slaves, and expanded through the oppression of Asian and Latino immigrants. We formally got rid of slavery and Jim Crow laws, but we left many subtle aspects of discrimination deep in the fabric of the country. We never apologized for how we got here. We taught our children to fear people who look different. We created social myths to make people of color scary and not to be trusted. We structured all the modern aspects of society so they are easy for white people to navigate, without considering the effects on people of color.
There are so many issues in the American system that need to be addressed to make it fair for everyone. We need health care for everyone. We need equal opportunities to afford a good education for everyone. We need the rich to actually pay their fair share. We need to reform the criminal justice system. We need to end voter suppression. We need to get rid of the electoral college. We need term limits. We need campaign finance reform. We need to create community oversight of the police by elected community supervisory boards who have the power to investigate and fire anyone in the police force (including the chief). We need strict new rules requiring ALL police to have body cams and dash cams and turning them off should result in immediate firing… and that’s just a short list of things off the top of my head. I know there are many other issues that I don’t see. So again, it’s time to listen.
To my white friends, commit to using your white privilege for good. Get out your camera when you see a black man being pulled over. Make it your business to see that he is treated fairly and is able to go home to see his children. If you see a person of color being mistreated by the police, get involved. We all know how great white people are at calling the management and the police… well do it to help someone for a change! I wonder what would have happened if a couple of the white people would have pulled out their phones, dialed 911 and gone full Amy Cooper on Derek Chauvin and the other three as they were witnessing the assault and murder of Mr. Floyd. Could this have been prevented if white people had gotten involved demanding names and badge numbers while it was going on?
Fear and Hate grow when you don’t know someone. So make a point to get to know the people of color around you. Attend a Filipino 1st Birthday party, a Quinceañera, an Arangetram, or go to a Black church. People of color, invite white people into your lives. I will never forget when Liz’s mom took Lanette and I to church in D.C. I found myself to be one of 5 white people in a church of at least 1,000 black people. I was shocked at how it felt to be the extreme minority in the room and yet I was surrounded by people who offered me welcome, love, and acceptance. That experience made a permanent mark on my life and I will always cherish the memory.
Finally, to all my white friends who haven’t been speaking out, I challenge you to watch the video below and ask yourself who is waiting to see if you will stand up for them. Join me.
America was stolen from Native Americans, built on the backs of African slaves, and expanded through the oppression of Asian and Latino immigrants. We formally got rid of slavery and Jim Crow laws, but we left many subtle aspects of discrimination deep in the fabric of the country. We never apologized for how we got here. We taught our children to fear people who look different. We created social myths to make people of color scary and not to be trusted. We structured all the modern aspects of society so they are easy for white people to navigate, without considering the effects on people of color.
There are so many issues in the American system that need to be addressed to make it fair for everyone. We need health care for everyone. We need equal opportunities to afford a good education for everyone. We need the rich to actually pay their fair share. We need to reform the criminal justice system. We need to end voter suppression. We need to get rid of the electoral college. We need term limits. We need campaign finance reform. We need to create community oversight of the police by elected community supervisory boards who have the power to investigate and fire anyone in the police force (including the chief). We need strict new rules requiring ALL police to have body cams and dash cams and turning them off should result in immediate firing… and that’s just a short list of things off the top of my head. I know there are many other issues that I don’t see. So again, it’s time to listen.
To my white friends, commit to using your white privilege for good. Get out your camera when you see a black man being pulled over. Make it your business to see that he is treated fairly and is able to go home to see his children. If you see a person of color being mistreated by the police, get involved. We all know how great white people are at calling the management and the police… well do it to help someone for a change! I wonder what would have happened if a couple of the white people would have pulled out their phones, dialed 911 and gone full Amy Cooper on Derek Chauvin and the other three as they were witnessing the assault and murder of Mr. Floyd. Could this have been prevented if white people had gotten involved demanding names and badge numbers while it was going on?
Fear and Hate grow when you don’t know someone. So make a point to get to know the people of color around you. Attend a Filipino 1st Birthday party, a Quinceañera, an Arangetram, or go to a Black church. People of color, invite white people into your lives. I will never forget when Liz’s mom took Lanette and I to church in D.C. I found myself to be one of 5 white people in a church of at least 1,000 black people. I was shocked at how it felt to be the extreme minority in the room and yet I was surrounded by people who offered me welcome, love, and acceptance. That experience made a permanent mark on my life and I will always cherish the memory.
Finally, to all my white friends who haven’t been speaking out, I challenge you to watch the video below and ask yourself who is waiting to see if you will stand up for them. Join me.