On Race and Violence
Image Credit: Unsplash
I didn’t want to write about it. As a middle-aged white woman from the burbs, who am I to share any opinion? Of course I couldn’t not see what was happening all over the US. And every image shook my heart and cells with grief. And I was reading and looking to leaders and voices I admire for comfort and clarity. Instead of writing about it, I shared the perspective of someone I admire and he said, “You’ve got a voice too my friend. Don’t be shy.”
Here’s me trying to not be shy, because I don’t want to be part of the silence.
I understand pain, but due to my white privilege, I can’t know the pain of people of color.
I understand marginalization only as much as I have experienced it as a woman.
I understand the impact of cumulative stress and trauma only through my profession as a mental health provider.
As I continue to seek, I understand that only when the broken are healed will we as a people heal.
Through my faith, I understand that those who are suffering need to be seen and cared for through action, not just thought.
I understand the world both has those in pain needing healing, as well as those who want to snag an opportunity to further chaos. It also holds those who can use their voice to take a stand and contribute to change.
I understand that violence is purposeless action as it stops progress and distracts from issues to be addressed.
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I recall a lesson in high school sociology class. On an old-school tape recorder (remember those?) my teacher played a clip describing a society with sophisticated roads and highways, newspapers, network based cities, sewage and sanitation. He stopped the tape and asked what year we’d thought had been referenced. Most of us thought it was current day (circa 1993 at that time). Then he shared it was the Roman Empire, just before it’s fall due to economic troubles, overreliance on slave labor, overspending, government corruption, political instability, and loss of traditional values. I recall chills running down my spine, feeling the nearness of the demise of our civilization.
I have those same chills now. We are systematically allowing the demise of our civilization.
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So what are WE gonna do about it? Sit back and watch the inevitable happen? Complain? Post our opinions on social media and debate with others who want to perpetuate a fight?
Or are WE gonna LISTEN to those with unifying clarity to lead us through? Are WE gonna CARE with our ACTIONS?
As a middle-aged white woman from the burbs, who am I to lead? But I can share about people to whom we need to LISTEN. I can share of organizations that CARE and need our ACTION. And I welcome others to contribute about those to whom we need to LISTEN, CARE, and ACT.
LISTEN to these voices:
https://melanatedconversations.com/
Increase your CARE through reading?
Read about the generational anguish of white supremacy, which is deeply embedded in all American bodies.
https://sojo.net/articles/our-white-friends-desiring-be-allies
Do you yearn to ACT?
