Introduction:

 

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Sometimes when I get bogged down with the hard times in the world, one of the things I like to do is remember where I live and feel that sense of American pride that comes with it. As I was thinking about this fact earlier this week, I tried to remember the last time I actually felt proud to be an American. And then the sad truth sank in: I don’t remember the last time I felt that way.

I remember at the beginning of the pandemic when everyone was forced inside thinking that it was going to lead to something wonderful. I thought people would emerge from their homes refreshed and excited to see one another; I imagined a world where everyone just wanted one giant hug that we would all get swept into the moment we were allowed to leave our doors.

But anyone who has been outside of their four walls knows that’s not what is happening right now.

It’s my sincerest desire that someone will read this and find a glimmer of hope. These are effective ways that I found for dealing with some of the most hot-button issues facing us this year.

To be clear, this is not meant to be any kind of a political piece. This has nothing to do with how I vote, who I’m voting for, and who I don’t support. This is just one person’s take on being a good human being and just being kind to others.

 

#BlackLivesMatter

I am so excited to see that perhaps a solution to racism is for white people to get their fingers out of their ears long enough to listen; perhaps open up to the thought that maybe if we backed up our Black brothers and sisters, racism may finally come to an end.

When I was in college, I took African American History. I ignorantly thought that racism was basically over. It was 2010, right? Racism was finally a thing of the past. Then I took the class and realized how deeply wrong I was. I finally understood how long Black people have been suppressed in our country, and it explained to me so clearly as to how and why it’s still going on. I’m not going to go into all of the details because I could write a whole book about it, but many are still living in daily oppression that is all about how they are being treated based on the color of their skin and nothing else. Even now, we are still dealing with blatant racism. Accusations are being thrown at Black people in a way that’s still so unfair. If you’re reading this rolling your eyes, I beg you to educate yourself. Do a little research. Watch a documentary or two, and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.

After the class, I was fired up wanting to make a change and I remember trying to talk to people about what I was learning in the class, but no one really wanted to listen to me. I felt like my words fell on deaf ears. I was frustrated, and for a while I just gave up unless I heard someone say something racist.

In 2013, I was so happy when the #BlackLivesMatter movement began. I thought, “This time, maybe we can back up our Black brothers and sisters and become unified.” Plus, it also made me think of all of the dear people I had in my life that might be affected by racism that still goes on today. I started thinking about friends, co-workers, people my parents are friends with, students that I had in student teaching, old babysitters, and many more. All I could think about was how many people I love who are being affected by racism every day, and it’s all happening right under my nose.

Sadly, while I saw that some understood #BlackLivesMatter and the hope to create a world of equality and freedom from racism, there were (and are still) those who sincerely thought Black people had the same rights and if you work hard, you can get where you want to in America. These are people who are ignorantly (and unusually unintentionally) saying, “All lives matter!” It misses the point. I remember at the time trying to explain to someone who wasn’t understanding #BlackLivesMatter and that it exists because all lives matter. The discussion quickly turned into an ugly, racially charged version of Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s On First?” stand-up routine.

If you’re one of the many still having trouble with the explanation of the movement, I recently heard it put this way: “If you have 5 kids, and one child falls down and hurts her knee, you’re not going to give a bandaid to every child. You’re going to give it to the child who needs it.” – Marre Gaffigan (Jim Gaffigan’s 16-year-old daughter)

This year, I feel like there’s been a bigger change in our country with a larger plea for white voices in the movement to stand up and say, “I may not have heard you before, but I hear you now. I understand that even though I’m not a white supremacist, my life has benefited from it because I am white. It’s my job to educate myself, speak up when someone isn’t kind, and help put the right people in office to make a difference.”

I said it already, but I’ll say it again: educate yourself. Talk to friends who are Black about their experiences with racial injustice that’s happened to them personally. You’ll find that even the loveliest person can say something stupid without even meaning to. “Oh, you speak so eloquently for a Black person.” That one I heard from more than one friend. After you’ve educated yourself, be sure you’re fully educated on who you vote for and make sure you’re voting for people who line up with true equal rights.

Stay tuned tomorrow for Part 2 and Monday for Part 3.