The problem we face is not a new one. Racism exists down every street, around every corner, and across every border. Some people are forced to engage it head-on in their day-to-day actions and encounters. Others live in blissful ignorance a majority of the time. I live with two men who deal with the situation every day. One of them confidently points out the atrocities committed against his people on a regular basis, holding back no punches, challenging any and all who dare oppose or try to diminish the relevance and significance of his views. The other roommate uses his spoken word artistry as his outlet, creating thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, anger-inducing poetry as a means to process his experiences and shed light on realities that frequently go unnoticed by the rest of us.
By the "rest of us" I mean "privileged white people." I never knew what that phrase meant until I moved into this apartment, which is proof enough of its existence and attachment to who I am. I do not have to worry about what neighborhoods I walk through. I do not stare in my rearview mirror in worried anticipation of flashing lights. I have never had to carry the burden of injustice levied against my ancestors. Instead, I go where I want, when I want, and never think twice of it. Was I ineligible from certain scholarship opportunities when I applied for college because I was white and lived a comfortable middle-class life because I had two parents with full-time incomes? Yes. But if that's the only discrepancy I can think of, then I think I have been privileged with a comfortable life.
It is possible I do not agree with every sentiment my roommates express every time social issues come up in living room conversation or social media commentary. But it is likely my eyes have been opened (not wide, but enough) to view the world through a lens that is slightly less rose-colored than ever before.
The BLM movement is our generation's response to the wide void that still exists in this country, both between races and between the various beliefs and ideals regarding race relations. Some people interpret the phrase "Black Lives Matter" as "Only Black Lives Matter." This is not the point, nor the intended sentiment. As many have said before, saying "All Lives Matter" is not an untrue statement, but it does disregard the matter at hand. This cartoon is the best example I have seen of what "Black Lives Matter" is trying to describe:
Just because black lives are the ones being acknowledged does not imply the others do not also have importance. April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Does that mean sexual assault doesn't matter the other 11 months? Or that other violent offenses are disregarded in April? October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. During August do you ignore your aunt who has breast cancer because it is not her time yet? Or your friend with leukemia doesn't require treatment just because it happens to be October 10? Of course not. That would be preposterous. These things have designations because it allows for a focus during that time to draw attention to that one thing in the hopes of improving or changing it, when it most certainly would not receive appropriate attention otherwise.
There are extreme views to both sides of the BLM movement that are heart-breaking for me. Some people see the death of these black individuals and their first reaction is "Well, he had a gun and was being aggressive. The cop wasn't given a choice." The first reaction to death should never be, "He had it coming." It should be sorrow and grief. Explanations and blame come later. These men had families that lost a son/brother/father/cousin/uncle/nephew. They had friends who lost a confidant/wingman/supporter/encourager. Their lives will forever be void of a presence they care about. The loss of life is first and foremost tragic and unnecessary. It is important that we all see that, and all lament that anyone's life had to be sacrificed in the course of confusion and uncertainty.
The other extreme view is to see white police officers using excessive force against young black men, assume racially-motivated targeting, and desire instant and equal retaliation. Statistics will substantiate the racial-targeting claim based on percentages of arrests and incarcerations. I cannot and will not speak to the racial motivations (or lack thereof) of police officers as a general group. I am not informed or qualified enough to do so. I can only speculate at the pressure law enforcement officers have to deal with ranging from confronting kids on loitering, to making traffic stops, to breaking up violent crimes. Any of those could be concluded without incident or end fatally, depending on the individuals involved, and the officer has to be prepared for every one of those scenarios to play out at any given moment. It is tragic, to say the least, that officers reach a level of desperation where they feel they have to resort to firing their gun to control a situation or protect their own lives. It is despicable if this decision is made ahead of time and carried out intentionally, as some would claim. I would hope, to the depths of my soul, that the people we entrust with our overall safety and well-being are trained to avoid such measures at all costs, and would resort to them only as absolutely necessary. But based on a number of incidents, I cannot truly fault those who do not trust police to carry out their duties rationally and without bias.
All that being said, the problem lies in the near-sightedness of the American public on the whole. We are quick to judge. We are quick to ignore. We are quick to react, hate, disregard, assume, criticize, and any other list of verbs that do not promote peace, grace, mercy and love. We are trained and conditioned to be individuals, seeking our own success, putting ourselves before others. Therefore, our words and actions follow suit. It is much easier for me to tell you why you upset or anger me than it is for me to put myself in your shoes and try to understand where you are coming from. If this ideology is where we allow ourselves to exist, these problems will persist.
In the end, I don't have an answer. I don't know what to do differently when I wake up in the morning and interact in the world around me. I know that my first priority needs to be to focus on God; who He is, His character, and what His plans for the world are. Then, I need to love others. Everyone I know and will come to know in the future is made in His image. Jesus would not hesitate to reach out to those who are marginalized, oppressed, abused, persecuted or exploited, and neither should I. Throughout history, different people groups have fallen under these umbrellas. Right now, the black community needs to be heard, embraced, supported, and loved. One day, you may feel like you need the support of your community. Should that day come, you will not want to have to worry about biases, rationales, motivations, or agendas. You will simply want to know someone cares about you, sympathizes with you, and seeks to help you move forward.
#BlackLivesMatter #LoveGod #LoveOthers
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