Skip to main content

How Many Times


Before seeing a white man murder a handcuffed black man by kneeling on his neck in public, in broad daylight, how many times did you not believe perceived outrageous claims of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color because they were unfathomable to you?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Moving Beyond Weariness

What is this weariness? It is the weight of 400 years of relentless hope while facing the willful ignorance of those who deny the historic and systemic oppression of so many.   Being available for hard conversations is draining yet worth it when someone begins to understand. On the contrary,  there are always those who know more than God. As for me, I have tasted the freedom that was unjustly denied to my kidnapped and enslaved ancestors. This was not exclusively experienced by my extended family. Unknown numbers of Africans from various tribes were kidnapped, chained, shackled, and transported against their will as cargo to live less than humans in enslavement on this land. What traumas does this experience induce for the human psyche, body, and soul? On what behaviors and practices did they learn to depend for survival? Spend time with those questions. Born in the post-chattel slavery era of the twentieth century, I know Jim Crow and apartheid from my lived experience. Th...

Broadening Perspectives

The recent extra-judicial killing of George Floyd and others is causing many Americans to question the various forms of racial bias in our society. While those from the First Nations and of African descent along with other people of color have lived experience of this violence and its embodied trauma. Seeing Floyd murdered from the comfort of their homes seems to have pushed many who identify as white to cross the threshold. For them, denying the existence of racial injustice in 2020 is no longer an option. As perspectives are broadened, questions arise.  It as though a bright light bulb has been switched on in a dank cellar providing a stark view in direct conflict with the ideals the nation espouses. What is seen is the oppressive legacy of 400 years of white supremacy and its perpetuation in real time.   The arts are one way in which "heroes" are created and celebrated to shape the stories we know.  The removal of statues and other artwork honoring men who contrib...