There is a relationship between the COVID pandemic and the racism pandemic. Both are insidious, both affect Black people more than white people and you can’t always tell if you’re infected.
The breath of life is something we all need to survive. COVID takes this away, but so does a knee on the neck.
A virus is something we have little control over, other than trying to prevent it through social distancing. But racism is something we do have control over. How we treat our brothers and sisters of any color is up to each one of us. When enough individuals change, a culture changes.
I am a white person who sees now is the time to become actively anti-racist and to speak out as I am doing now. If white people need proof of racism, view and witness the video of Amy Cooper in New York’s Central Park as example.
I am appalled at just how fast she reacted to a reasonable plea by Chris Cooper to put her dog on a leash. “I’m calling the police and telling them an African American man is threatening my life,” she says, intentionally pretending hysteria.
She was not in any danger; it was a calculated decision. She fabricated the entire threat because she knew she could, knowing that by calling the police she was placing a Black man’s life at risk. This should open the eyes of any person who might downplay the culture of racism or “white privilege.”
I believe African Americans understand that the cure for racism is not more hatred, or more divisiveness. Recently I heard Dr. Cornell West, the renowned, brilliant Harvard professor, political activist and philosopher. He brought Anderson Cooper, myself and likely a few million other viewers to tears.
He reminded us that in spite of 400 years of oppression, Black people remain hopeful. No one at George Floyd’s funeral called for violence or played on the hatred and division of races. As Dr. West said, the Floyd family “held up the spiritual and moral banner of integrity, honesty, justice and love for all.”
And Chris Cooper’s reaction? He was honestly “uncomfortable” with Amy Cooper “receiving so much hate and losing her job.” He felt she should not have to pay for the rest of her life for her actions. I wonder if I could be so forgiving.
We do not need years of research to find the cure for racism. We all know in our hearts what the answer is: the collective voices of Black people, white people — people of all colors — uniting for change in a spirit of love and understanding.
Our country was founded on inalienable rights. If we want to be “great again,” we need to apply these principles to all Americans. It cannot wait.
As Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, author of “Tears We Cannot Stop, a Sermon to White America,” says, we must stay hopeful in spite of what we see. This is the time for sustained persistence. This is the time for transformative engagement.
All of us should be so horrified by witnessing George Floyd pleading for his life, that we are willing to “revolutionize our consciousness.” We must reinvest in life-affirming, life-enhancing policies for all.
We need massive police reform, community investments and real justice or there will never be peace. The people in the streets recognize, even if some politicians don’t, that true freedom must be for all. And all means all. With the Supreme Court ruling in a 6-3 decision this month that LGBTQ individuals have the right to work without fear of being fired, I see a glimmer of hope.
My hope is that history will look back and call this time period “The Great Global Awakening.” Events are shaking things up, like it or not.
I call all Baby Boomers like myself to stand and be heard along with the multi-racial, gendered, cultural, religious people out protesting worldwide. We must end racism.
By truly listening to each other with integrity, honesty, and love, transformation will happen. Go ahead: Give yourself the vaccine now and be part of the change.
No Comments