Recently in the news (This month) we have seen the death to two Black (African-American) men.
One in New York City and the other in Missouri. Both involving police offices which means the story has and will run wild.
I don’t usually make remarks on topics like this but that is shame on me. When I often hear of these types of events I am not surprised.
Regardless of how much we try to say things have change (and yes life is not like it was 60 years ago) we fail to admit that there is still racial issues that consume our world…
I am saddened by these recent (and many other) tragedies and my heart/prayers go out to the families. Regardless of the situation no one ever wants to get the news that someone they love has died let alone been murdered, by the hands of police nonetheless.
For Black people this fuels the already believed understanding that police are here to protect and serve the people, just not always black people. In fact I am sure that there are conversations that older men had with me and other young black children about how to respond to police officers that my brothers and sisters who are white may never have had. (Topic of another day though)
WITH THAT SAID
INJUSTICE cannot… I repeat CANNOT breed injustice…
We cannot riot, or act a fool, or become what and who people already think we are. In fact we need to realized that an emotional and/or violent response will lead to counterproductive efforts.
In each story you get a tale a an innocent man who was wrongly stopped and harassed which lead to the eventual murder.
You know when people die we paint the sweetest picture don’t we?
Now I am not saying that both this men were monsters, what I am saying is that WE DON’T REALLY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED! (Unless you were there, because the same news we are getting our information from will be the same news we say is feeding us lies later)
On the other side of the coin, there are many people (yours truly included) who have been treated unfairly and it does begin to shape one’s view of others. In fact I have no problem admitting I struggle and need to check my own prejudice at the door when various issues arise. Most have been shaped by an experience.
Please understand, I am not saying in any way, shape or form, that I believe these two murders, or any other number of murders that have taken place especially where the victim is a black male, should just be accepted as fact and that there may not have been even an ounce of injustice. I know and believe that this is not the case. In fact there is a quote in the book Divided By Faith that mentions
Racial practices that allow or help spread racial division in the contemporary U.S. 1) are increasingly covert, 2) are embedded in normal operations of intuitions, 3) avoid direct racial terminology and 4) are invisible to most Whites.
I say ALL of this to say, we must be wise in how we respond when issues of such great importance occur. These are great injustices against Americans, against our families, against the black people, BUT the response is not to spread the same type of inequality. When we do that we give everyone the right to take away our dignity, because we have taken it away from ourselves. We play right into the hands of the racist and make those who already believe or are subject to believe the stereotypes .
Once again I am praying for the families of these victims as well as others past. I am praying for our children. I am praying for you!
Divine Perspective 