If This Makes U Uncomfortable, Then U Make Me Uncomfortable #RRBC
“We can’t understand their lives until we walk a day in someone else’s shoes. And, because the shade of our skin isn’t interchangeable, what we can do, is we can all stand (or kneel) together to effect positive change, not for one, but for all. For this dream to become reality, we must change the way we look at each other, realize that the strongest thing that binds us is color…not the color of our skin, but the color of the blood that courses through each of our veins. And whether you like it or not, that color makes us equal and all the same.”
~ Nonnie Jules
Take a look: (VIDEO OF DISCUSSION HAS BEEN DELETED FROM THE WEB)
Who can believe that in 2016, we are still feeling the effects of racism?
What I can believe is this, if we can’t talk about it, we can’t change it. And, until we start having those deep conversations about our unfounded fears and biases, then we will remain rooted in this cycle of RACISM. See how I’m not afraid to say that? I’m not afraid to say it, because I’m intelligent enough to know that it does still exist and you don’t have to have brown skin to realize what your eyes can clearly see.
Some of you will read this post, watch this video and leave without sharing a comment…because it makes you uncomfortable. Well, then, you make me a little uncomfortable. You see, I don’t worry about the people who aren’t afraid to call a pig a pig or a snake a snake. I worry most about the ones who try to pretend and make that pig and snake into something other than what they are, because they don’t like how the pig looks or how the snake behaves.
Ask yourself: Why can I comment on any of Nonnie’s other posts about books, children, and writing processes, but I don’t feel comfortable “touching” on subjects such as this one?
Hey, you…yes, YOU…the uncomfortable ones…stand in front of a mirror and take a good look at what you see…and if what you see on the outside appears to be OK, then you might want to look a little deeper, before your uncomfortable-ness turns into an unwarranted fear, and then that unwarranted fear turns into ignorance, and then that ignorance, into bloodshed of people who don’t have to die.
#ChangeComesWhenWeAllTakeAStand (or kneel)
#GiveMeAChanceToKneel #BelieveMeIWillTakeIt
and..
if you don’t like it, then that’s your problem.
Go out and change someone’s world today, in a positive way!
- Posted in: Uncategorized
Watch Nonnie Write! 
This is a very important post you’ve written, Nonnie. This is a challenge to open a dialogue. We are living in dark times. And it’s only seeming to get darker. What is the root cause? What or who is determined to open wounds that once were healing? From where did this division return? There is not a simple answer, which is why so many will avoid the subject. As humans, we want simplicity. And because we want simplicity, we are easily divided.
We no longer stand as Americans. We’ve hyphenated ourselves into African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Chinese-Americans, German-Americans, and so on. Then, we’ve allowed ourselves to be divided further into Democrats and Republicans. Our states are Red or Blue states. If we’re poor, we’re told the rich are evil and want to destroy us. If we’re rich (that we’ve been successful and earned what we have) we’re convinced that the poor are lazy and good for nothing. We have an “us versus them” mentality between police and the people. And let’s not forget the division of religion (which includes atheism, as this is indeed a religion).
Division is the manifestation of hate. Hatred is evil. This is why Jesus Christ commanded us to love our enemies and to pray for those who use and abuse us. He didn’t say, “Strike out and seek revenge.” He knows that hatred is poison. Racism is the most vile of poisons. It kills the souls of those inflicted with it. Just this afternoon, as I was driving to dinner, I saw a group of people standing at the side of the road, right in front of one of our local TV stations. This group held up signs that read, “Honk if you hate Trump.” Hatred, though it’s been with us since the beginning of time, has become an industry in our world today. We are being encouraged to HATE another human being. (This is something at which the corporate media is quite skilled.) There is no such thing as innocent hate or fun hate or acceptable hate. Yet, here we are as a society, being sold hatred by the bucketful. And there are those who benefit greatly from this sell job (politicians, political parties, government agencies). These are those who prey upon our own fears and manipulate us. Unfortunately, most who are being manipulated are too blinded by hate to see the truth.
Police departments across the country have shifted from “protect and serve” to LAW ENFORCEMENT. They are there to ENFORCE what politicians have deemed to be legal or illegal. Enter the “us versus them” mentality. I’ve seen the corruption first hand. We the people are the only ones who have the power to bring it to an end. Unfortunately, we’ve been encouraged to hate one another and won’t stand together to stop it. This hatred is what will keep us blind to what is really going on in this world.
I am glad you’ve opened a dialogue, Nonnie.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Bravo to you, Beem! I’m glad I opened the dialogue, too, Beem. When we delve into these kinds of discussions, we learn so much about each other and the way we view life.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Outstanding, Beem! You have covered all the things I wanted to say yet feared that I would word it in a way that would be taken wrong. Hatred and manipulation are the root cause of what’s happening today and will nothing will change until we deal with this. And as a divided Nation, we make ourselves even more vulnerable to the terrorists and other Nations who watch and wait to prey upon our weakness.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That video gave me chills, and not in a good way! Racism and ignorance are alive and well here in the UK also, bit thankfully the majority of our police are not armed, yet. I think when it is found that police have shot and killed someone who was not armed and did not pose a threat that the officers should be prosecuted like any other individual. So long as they are allowed to get away with it because of their badge, nothing will change. Better training is also needed, rather than shoot first and ask questions later.
LikeLike
Michelle, your police are not armed in the UK? WOW. That’s interesting. By the way, I’m not against armed officers, but I am against trigger-happy racist officers.
Thanks for dropping by!
LikeLike
Powerful post Nonnie. Issues can seem overwhelming – that we feel powerless. Each of us has to start by looking at ourselves in the mirror. How do we act? What do we do to make our communities a better place? What do we teach our children? Remember they take note of what we do and not what we say. What we walk past is what we accept.
LikeLike
Wendy, I wish I could claim that quote as mine: “What we walk past, we accept.” So true. So powerful.
Thanks for introducing me to a new life-changing quote.
LikeLike
I was one of those who read the post and did not comment at first. It wasn’t for lack of care or opinion; it was more about the fact that I have learned to think through my thoughts before I share them. So, here are my thoughts:
I cannot and will not kneel during a national anthem. Maybe it’s the Army brat in me, but using one kind of disrespect to justify another kind of disrespect is wrong. I have many friends who are cops. They are cops who have families and who go into really, really bad neighborhoods not knowing whether they are going to go home to those families. They are cops who are white, black, Hispanic, Jewish, Christian, etc. They are human beings who chose a career that puts them in danger EVERY day, even more so now with everything that is going on.
That being said, there are a LOT of crappy cops out there. There needs to be MAJOR reform not only in the training that cops receive but in our complete judicial system. But most importantly, there needs to be MAJOR reform in our media outlets. They fire the flame more than they help. Many (not all, but many) of the cases that are being glorified as white cop hate crime on innocent black men are NOT accurate. After the world is shown clipped versions of the white cop shooting the black guy, investigations show that (a) the black guy had a warrant for his arrest, (b) the black guy was on something and was acting irrationally and posing a threat, (c) the black guy did indeed have a weapon or reached as if he had a weapon or some other reason. I remember one video where someone recorded a white cop taking a black man down with force while the black guy appeared to be cooperative. Later, another video of the same incident from a different angle showed the black man push the cop and reach of the cops gun, and that was then the cop took him to the ground.
And that being said, I STILL have a problem with the fact that so many cases end in death. When did cops stop being taught to shoot at legs and arms to disable the suspect? When did it become norm to shoot at the chest? When did it become acceptable to take a life, even if you believe that life is acting irrationally or has committed crimes or is being disrespectful toward you? I have a MAJOR problem with that.
The media is all about showing the video clips that will enrage the black communities, but they do nothing to rally those communities to improve the black-on-black crime that takes so many innocent lives. Those athletes are all proudly taking a knee to use their five minutes of fame to follow a pathetic trend to disrespect the flag, but how many of them are putting their money where their knee is? How many of them are meeting with the community leaders to find a way to change the policies and the actions that have led things to get this far? I know that the three Dolphins players who took a knee have now met with the community leaders and have invested their money into helping the leaders create a change. Did they do that voluntarily or did the Dolphins management pressure them? I don’t know, but at least it is now happening. Change, real change, takes action and money and a real willingness to listen to each other with compassion in order to find a viable solution to the problem.
I do my best to stay away from the news because it is corrupt and full of vitriol, and I do not need that in my life, but I have come across a few videos that have shone light on the issue. One of them is from Speak for Yourself, where he speaks about the war between cyber-humans and humans. I believe this is the link: https://www.facebook.com/SFYonFS1/ Another video is the Free Hugs guy (LOVE that guy) where he speaks to a group of enraged NC rioters. His words just make perfect sense. That video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_59kJXOLbKg And here is another one where a TV show called What Would You Do? stages a black guy bringing his white girlfriend into a Harlem barber shop. The reactions are priceless. That video is here: https://www.facebook.com/anonews.co/videos/1318744228137133/?pnref=story.
These are the kinds of things that should be broadcasted by the media, but they aren’t. Instead, hate and bigotry are broadcasted as if it is the most popular thing in the world. It isn’t, but it’s being fueled by the media and certain political figures. I do not believe it is the norm. Yes, racists exists. Yes, bigotry exists. Yes, ignorance exists. But I also know that so does love and acceptance and compassion…on all sides of the color spectrum. I am Hispanic. I was raised all over the world, and in several of those places, I was discriminated either by my skin color (much tanner than white) or my looks or my accent (which was Southern, not Hispanic) or because of where I was born (Germany – yes, I have had people call me Hitler’s child). I know how hurtful racism/bigotry is.
No, I am not black. No, I was not brought up in a neighborhood that oppressed its own citizens or made people fear to go out at night. But I do have compassion for my students who wake up at 4am so that their parents can drive them into a better neighborhood to go to school. I do feel anger that our elected officials can make the kind of money they make and not make real change in the impoverished neighborhoods of our community. I do get sick to my stomach when I hear that a man who makes $16 million can complain that he was not given opportunities while the man who barely puts food on his own table will give the shirt off his back to a homeless man and not even wait for a thank you.
Our world has lost its sense of values, and social media has had a lot to do with that. Each of us has to find a way to make a positive difference in whatever capacity that means. We cannot continue to add flames to the putrid that is being spread. There is a quote that I will butcher (and those of you who know me know that I have a crappy memory); it says something to the point of I may be one, but I am powerful.
My power is raising my son to be all accepting and to have compassion and empathy for all. I raise my son to respect everyone, no matter the clothes they wear, the color of their skin, or the amount of money that they make. I teach my students to love who they are and embrace their individuality and to never let anyone make them feel worthless. And I’m about to start a movement through social media to focus on embracing our individual beauty. I don’t have millions of dollars. I don’t have fame to bring the cameras in my face. But I do have a voice, and I choose to use that voice to embrace love and acceptance. I choose to be a role model for appropriate behavior instead of the inappropriate. I just wish more people in our world would do the same.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Well said Yvette. Your points are valid and as usual the media plays up the negatives for shock value and more listeners and readers. I believe that overall we have made strides against racism but he bad incidents are so bad and so badly handled that they override all the good positive steps so many of us have made toward understanding and loving each other.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You know Yvette, I’ve often thought, “why don’t they get organized and elect leaders who would look out for their interest?” Why don’t some of these million dollar athletes put their money where their mouth is? Why don’t they pour money into black neighborhoods and help grow entrepreneurs to create their own wealth? At one time, there were black middle class communities. But guess what, the Klu Klux Klan have been known to go through these neighborhoods and destroy them. The government did nothing to stop them. This is homegrown terrorism and Trump is surrounded by them. Why isn’t anyone saying anything about that? Blacks have gotten their spirits beaten until they are too paralyzed to help themselves. These are my people and these are the things I wonder about sometimes. For all the examples you share of police officers being justified in shooting someone to death, I can show you examples where they are not justified. Why do they have to kill? Why can’t they disable the suspect sometimes? In a lot of cases, death was not the only answer. The black and white neighborhoods are a tale of two cities — one is prosperous, and one is poverty stricken and the economic disaster we endured did not help this situation. There are a few communities of color with money and wealth but they are not the norm anymore. Black people have to get back to intact families which were destroyed during drugs being poured into every city across this country. When families are back whole, better neighborhoods will follow. I am horrified at how far down the rabbit hole my community has fallen and I pray that things will change for the better. At least we are having a conversation about it.
One last note: I grew up in the projects. We had 2-story units and single family units in my township. They started building brand new homes when the government allowed mortgage loans. If you read my first book, I talk extensively about this. Impoverished communties were built by design to make blacks seem like they can’t do or don’t want to do better.
I went to Florida one year with my boyfriend and was staring at the same kind of units I grew up in. I was shocked! All I ever knew was my little world. When I got out into the larger community, I see that these kinds of units were built all across the country to show that black people can’t do better for themselves. I can’t tell you how offended I was to see and learn this.
Thanks for sharing your take on things. I wish we really could have a forum on race relations.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree with you 100%, Shirley. It enrages me that the cops are shooting to kill. What ever happen to DISARMING? Are cops worse target shooters now than they used to be? Shouldn’t they be BETTER target shooters now that guns have become lighter and easier to handle? I am angry about these things, too, which is why I mentioned that major reform needs to take place.
I did read your first book, and I do understand what you are saying. And once again, I agree with you. My own experiences have shown me your truth. I live in Miami. I pass by inner cities all of the time. I drive through poverty stricken areas on my way to the beach. I see the run down shopping centers and the trash on the sides of the road and the homeless begging for money with a paper bag wrapped bottle in their hands. And it angers the hell out of me.
I see the black parents that wake their kids up at 4am and drive them to the schools in better neighborhoods to try to show their kids that there are better opportunities out there for them. Our communities are not fair to them. Our community leaders speak a whole lot of crap but then do nothing to help make the inner city communities better. And our wealthy don’t feel like it’s their problem nor do they want their dollars to try to help reform those communities, and it angers the hell out of me.
I agree with you that there are plenty of black multi-millionaires that don’t help. I also know that there are some that do. From my own knowledge, there is Chris Bosh, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Alonso Mourning…yes, they are all from the Miami Heat, and maybe that is just something that the leadership of that organization has embedded into them. I don’t know. But we need MORE of that.
We need REAL change. We need the guns off of the streets so that the kids in these neighborhoods aren’t afraid to walk to school and business owners aren’t afraid to open shop on those streets. We need healthier stores in the corners instead of the beer runs and the smoke joints and the XXX stores. We need community outreach programs that teach out community service and cleaning up the streets.
I have always said that if I were to ever win millions of dollars, not only would I open up a sky rise that was a reform/rehabilitation center for the homeless, but I would also get a few elected officials in my pocket to reform welfare where those on welfare would get the money if they either volunteered in the community for the same hours that they would have worked to earn that money and/or went to a community college or some kind of trade school to learn a skill for free under some kind of government program. This way, they would help themselves get off of welfare and into a better life for themselves. I think it’s such a simple concept, and I don’t understand why our elected officials cannot make it happen. Sad, really.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yvette, I simply hate the phrase “black on black” crime and in my opinion, my very intelligent opinion, I would surmise that someone other than a person of color, came up with that phrase, and what it says to me, is that blacks are the only ones who are killing blacks. It also sounds as if it was created to bring more negative attention to the black community. This is wrong, and I will tell you why. What I do know for fact, is that Caucasians kill Caucasians, Hispanics kill Hispanics, and blacks kill blacks, just like any of these said killers, will kill in any race (it matters not to them as a killer is a killer). I do watch the news, and I see others killing in their same race, but I wouldn’t tag it as white on white crime, or Hispanic or Hispanic crime …I’d just call it “crime.”
Some of what you’ve said, I agree with, but you also said some things that I strongly disagree with. You see, call me “gumbo” because I like to claim that I am a mix of many races (yes, I like the way that sounds…makes me truly one “OF THE PEOPLE…ALL PEOPLE” and one who isn’t boxed into one race based on the shade or lack there of, in my skin). So, here is a question for you: what would lead you to believe that only communities that are predominantly occupied by people of color, are neighborhoods “that oppressed its own citizens or made people fearful to go out at night?” Yvette, I live in a very affluent neighborhood, and yet I’m still afraid to open my door at night. I would imagine, that even if you lived in the White House in DC you would/should be afraid to go out at night. We live in a very unsafe world, mind you. And, although I’m sure that there was nothing at all negative meant by your words, I can see how even a non-black person would take offense to what you said, because, what you said, sounded just like what the media feeds us every day…when they only highlight the looting, the riots and all the ugly in predominantly black areas of town. It’s very seldom that they shine the spotlight on all the good, that I’m quite sure is going on in those same areas. So, let’s choose our words carefully in these discussions, whether offline or on, so as not to offend or incite others to get on the defensive.
Education is key when we speak on such topics and we need to do our own research and not feed, or buy into the ugly that the media is trying to constantly shove down our throats.
I thank you for sharing such a great deal in this discussion! Feel free to reply to or dispute anything that I have shared. Healthy discussions and debates… always feed my soul 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
My use of black on black crime was simply to describe the crime that takes place with in one’s own ethnicity. If we were talking about black cops killing white people, I would have pointed out that there is white on white crime that doesn’t get the kind of attention that the interracial acts get. I was not being more negative to the black community, and I apologize if my words made you or anyone feel that way.
I live in a middle class community surrounded by Hispanic and black families. I honestly can’t think of a white family in my area, but I’m sure they are here somewhere. And I feel safe to walk the block at night. Then again, it might help that three of my neighbors are cops – a black undercover detective, a Hispanic K-9 officer with an unmarked car, and another Hispanic detective. I also feel safe going out at night in the downtown area which isn’t the safest, but it’s pretty well kept.
But I know many people who work in the inner city schools who are scared to go to work in the daylight and practically run to their car when the bell rings to get out. They spend their days listening to sirens and seeing the yellow tape cornering off sections of the streets. They hear the gun shots from their classrooms and have their schools put on lock down because another armed criminal is in the area.
There is a LOT of good that also happens, and I agree with you wholeheartedly that those moments need to be where the focus is. That is what needs to be highlighted and broadcasted to the world.
So, I apologize if my words offended or sounded as if I were focusing on the negative. I try to balance things out, but sometimes it’s more difficult.
LikeLike
Thanks for posting, Nonnie. As fellow Christian, I view the racism problem as a good versus evil problem…not as a black versus white problem. Unfortunately, there are bad apples in places you don’t want them to be. They can even be in local politics, or school administration. Corruption is evil wherever it turns up; in cops, in doctors…yes…even doctors. Scary? Oh, yes! As Christians, we must unify… not divide… on insisting upon justice. As Christians, we must pray for God’s guidance and not be pulled down by allowing evil to take over our lives and country.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m late to this conversation but not to the topic, as racism has been a deep concern since I was quite young. Because of that, I almost don’t know where to begin with this discussion.
I don’t believe racism is worse than what it was years ago. It is simply more exposed. As a nation, as a world, we keep people encaged by poverty. When the activists come into an event, what happens? Barricades go up – physical ones and emotional ones. Violence destroys the area, the activists leave, and the people living there remain encaged. Hate grows hate; fear grows fear.
How does one address fear? Fear of those we don’t know, fear of those who wear the blue uniform, fear of those who don’t think like us — whatever the “us” might be. While education is essential (in the schools and in the family), rubbing shoulders reaches hearts. Each of us has to decide how we will “rub shoulders” with our fear. Maybe, just maybe, if we do…we will see more clearly and love more deeply – the person standing across from us.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Very well spoken, Gwen! I love the {“rub shoulders” with our fear}! It is always easier to fear that which we do not know.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I can’t kneel with you yet, Nonnie, but I will stand with you! I abhore the ignorance I see every day. I may see things through a different lense but I’m seeing the same things that are racism and it sickens me!
I want truth known in EVERY police involved shooting. More than that, I want assault weapons and other unnecessary guns OFF THE STREETS of this country!
I want to know why violent riots against one’s neighborhoods are necessary following every shooting! What gets accomplished by such violence?
I want EVERY PERSON to feel safe driving their car in every city of this GREAT NATION!
I want RESPECT for every life lost! More importantly, I want RESPECT for every life lived!
LikeLiked by 4 people
Australia isn’t immune to Racism. Our indigenous people are slandered and categorized and their culture is dying out, their young ones segregated into communities that are unhealthy and becoming more so. Taking a stand and making it clear in everything we do and say that mistreatment and vilification will NOT be tolerated towards any human being, regardless of race, creed or color is what we can contribute. Is it enough? I just don’t know. I have seen changes over the past five decades, and some of them are positive and welcome, however enlightenment must begin in childhood, and it’s our future generations that will either benefit and learn from our past, or reap the whirlwind of stagnated thought and inaction.
Bravo, Nonnie. This post needs to be read and shared.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Room With Books and commented:
I can call a snake a snake. Can you?
LikeLike
Just as I thought, so far, 11 hours after posting this blog, there have been 97 views of it, and yet, only 20 comments. Hmmmm, once again, Nonnie posts a very “uncomfortable” topic. My advice, if you like reading about, learning about and getting involved in issues revolving around social injustices that affect our world, WATCH NONNIE WRITE. If you’re looking for comfort, visit The Room Store 🙂
Thanks for all you “brave” souls who were comfortable enough to speak on this obviously uncomfortable topic.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful comments by all involved in this conversation. What worries me is that while we have yet to overcome racism, which is in part based on fear of differences, I see a hatred surrounding us all– never seen before. It’s intensity is frightening. I believe that the government, and I mean both parties, are subtley promoting racism and this overwhelming general hatred to deliberately get Americans to turn upon each other while not paying attention to the things going on in government. Think about this before you jump to the conclusion that I’m crazy. This last bout of protesters in N.C. became so wrapped up in hatred that what started as a protest quickly turned to rioting, then looting and stealing and another innnocent death. Martin Luther King was a gentle man, a protester, but he never condoned hatred and rioting. I can almost sense this hatred in the air and it is not all related to color. And I think we all need to be aware of this and get down on our knees and ask that our prayers overcome this evil that walks this earth.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Amen, Micki!
LikeLike
Great post, Nonnie. Abuse of power is as old as racism itself, and neither is acceptable in my opinion.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ever since we elected our first black (mixed) president, incidences like these have slowly start to become our new normal. There are forces out there that are trying to make President Obama the worst president there is. The vast majority of people don’t buy into this. I am so frustrated and angry at what is happening in America. Its heartbreaking. I just watched a new video on a man that got shot from his wife’s camera. She was begging them not to shoot her husband because he was suffering from a brain injury. They shot him dead right in front of her all while she was pleading. It was so gut-wrenching to see. I am so sad for us all. Something has got to change.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Whenever these things happen it’s hard to believe we’re in 2016 and people still make judgements based on the colour of someone’s skin, or their sexuality, or any other such “reason”. At least more and more people are willing to stand up and say no more… and more people need to say that…
We all need to 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you, Nonnie. As the mother of a Black son, I thank you for speaking out.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When I saw that video of the cop shooting that man, it left me in shock! I watched it with my daughter, and my question when we saw it was, “what else should he have done, not to be shot?! The truth is that, if that man, prostrated himself with his belly down, he would still have been shot.
My question is this, what is it that drives a white policeman to shoot a black man? What does he see when he does this, a man or an animal? There is a phobia going on among these police officers who stop thinking and begin acting irrationally, whenever they are confronted with black men.
As long as this fear persist in the white man, for the sins committed against the blacks of this country, they will continue to behave irrationally.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hear you, and thank you for this comment.
I note that the officer in Tulsa was a woman, though white, and the officer who fired the fatal shots in Charlotte was a black man. So what is it about police culture that makes it okay to shoot black men?
Someone noted that the white man who killed 9 people in a church in the south was not only apprehended unharmed, but even bought a burger because he was hungry. Wow.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Heart-breaking. The UK is increasing the number of armed response units, and I dare say we will have armed police on the streets in the future. There are plenty of armed police forces. I was recently in Spain and police on the streets are armed. But we do not hear so much about police shootings in other countries.
Racism is everywhere and it will be a very long time before future ‘enlightened’ generations eradicate it. In the short term, it should be possible to require a change in police behaviour. It would require political willingness and politicians with determination.
I wonder what would happen if ten million black Americans collectively applied to European countries for political asylum to flee from persecution?
LikeLiked by 3 people
Gordon, that scenario would make them totally crazy.
LikeLike
The USA is not slow to force change in other countries for humanitarian and other reasons. There must we a way for political leaders in other countries to demand change in the USA for all sections of the community who are oppressed.
It would need a massive appeal from black Americans to countries of the world to produce the kind of external political pressure that would force US politicians to bring forward meaningful change.
Looking at the current presidential candidates, I can’t see any hope for change.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I think that’s a novel idea and and well worth pursuing.
LikeLike
We always have to keep talking about this and thank you for writing this. I keep trying to understand what I am hearing and seeing but I am still at a loss with both at the moment –when human life is not a priority.
LikeLike
Amen, Nonnie! Thanks for speaking out.
What struck me most about that conversation in the video was that it would be most effective as a radio broadcast – with no visuals at all. That way ALL we would hear was the HUMAN impact of all these disgusting and vile events in Sheryl Underwood’s raw and damning pleas for sanity.
Prejudice of any sort is inhuman – we ARE all red and we all (should) want to live our lives peacefully and with dignity. Zero tolerance should cut both ways – the officers who behave like rabid hoodlums should feel the full weight AND THE SCORN of the law. The men and women who join up to ‘protect and serve’ have no business doing the exact opposite, and should not be allowed to think they can literally get away with cold-blooded murder,in the name of ‘proactive response’ – in any situation.
Re the UK’s not having armed officers on the street… Prejudice is still there and evident in cases such as the Steven Lawrence murder where the police pitifully mismanaged the prosecution after a black teen was set upon and killed by several young white men, simply for standing at a bus stop. Racism is insidious and needs to eradicated from all stratas of society, including and especially schools and colleges, and in the home.
LikeLiked by 2 people
This post was very courageous, Nonnie. As I travel the course of the internet and visit the sites of some of my ‘friends’, I am appalled by some of their racist comments. They don’t even realize how negative some of their posts, pictures, and comments are. Until a person has to wake up with a plan for how they’re going to deal with racism today, or how they’re going to prepare their 12/13 year old son, who is 5’9″, has dark skin, and looks like a football player—but is really just a playful baby—a person may never feel what minorities feel. This sooo needed to be said!
LikeLiked by 4 people
I totally agree—if we can’t talk about it, we can’t change it. From my travels and living in other cultures, I see class warfare as the mother of racism—which has its deep roots in pride and ignorance. Thanks for talking about it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The two Johns both said it very well. Racism exists around the world, not just in America, but it seems that we’ve taken it to a whole new level (as Americans tend to do). Equality for all is simply a myth until we look beyond all of the filters that have been ingrained in us growing up in this country. I can tell you this, from my own point of view (for the two cents it is worth). Cops are human and shouldn’t be viewed as anything other than that. There are great cops and there are horrible cops. It is a shame that the bad groups the good into a category as “all” but isn’t that what we tend to do? If one messes up, then it’s ALL of them. Punishment for a cop committing a crime should be no different than any citizen committing a crime. Thanks for the challenge Nonnie. I hope I live long enough to see the change John F. talked about – one heart at a time.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Amen! The problem is, our low awareness is showing. Our lack of self-knowledge. Our fear. Our denial. Our deeply held belief that we have to protect ourselves from anything that doesn’t serve our own immediate purpose. Our refusal to listen to or acknowledge the deeply felt pain of others. Our utter lack of understanding that we are all one thing. We can’t go back, but we can honor the pain in the black community that is surfacing. I want to hold hands with this pain, hug it, look it in the face and say I’m sorry on behalf of anyone who ever participated in it. I want to heal it. ❤️
LikeLiked by 2 people
Well said, Nonnie. Of course racism exists in the police force – they are humans working in a para-military culture built on protecting some people from others. Black men in particular are deemed to be among those ‘others’.
As for denying racism: I saw the comments by Trump’s coordinator in Ohio and they were appalling. Denying the racism that African Americans and other people of colour have gone through is incredible.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think the conversation has to turn to a higher level where thoughtful dialog takes the place of mindless demagoguery. Generalizations such as “some or all” need to get more specific so that they can eventually be debunked. Those who believe injustices exist need to speak up (as you do, Nonnie). Those who still think silence is the best course need to reevaluate their position. Above all people need to stop calling each other names and face the truth that prejudice exists and only awareness will overcome it.
LikeLiked by 4 people
As a Canadian, I’d love to say we don’t have that problem here. But I can’t. I have seen the ugly face of racism even within my own family. Sheryl Underwood said it very well when she said that Caucasians cannot understand racism until they feel the fear that she does when she drives her car. That floored me. It upsets me that people have to live in fear for their lives because of their skin colour.
Some thought that after the race riots of the 60s, that we were growing out of the racism and the hatred. Unfortunately, although there have been advancements, eradicating racism won’t happen in a few decades. For me, as I witness the outrage and fury triggered by police shootings of black males, I can understand if people want to throw up their hands and declare the situation hopeless.
However, I firmly believe that change can happen one heart at a time. It starts with me and you. What we do in our own little corner of the universe will have an impact because others will take note, think about it and then emulate our attitude and behaviours. One by one. It is the only way all of us can make a difference. Thanks for this inspirational post, Nonnie!
LikeLiked by 5 people
WOW! Thank you for that inspiration, John! But, at this point, I don’t think people are throwing their hands up and declaring the situation hopeless; people are now fighting back in a variety of ways.
Let’s just all pray for peaceful change. #VerySoon
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great post, Nonnie. We have to start looking beyond color. Wrong is wrong, regardless of your color or your job description. We also need the media to stop feeding the fear, focus on the positive, and help our country unite rather than perpetuating the problems. We CAN overcome… but it’s going to take all of us working together.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Susan, I agree with you whole heartedly. Speaking of the media, in one of these situations, they showed a news helicopter (from the sky) say: “He looks like a real bad dude.” My mouth hit the floor. I was thinking to myself, “Seriously, from way up there, you can tell (stereotyping) that he looks like a real bad ‘dude’?” What he was thinking was: He’s black, so whatever they are holding him for, he deserves. I was sickened.
No matter how badly some might want it…the separation of color/race…we all have to live here together. #ChangeForTheBetter
Thanks for weighing in, Susan.
LikeLiked by 2 people
With every new video of police shootings I watch, I am grateful to live in the UK. Racism is found everywhere but the examples of US cops, who should be at the heart of the fight against racist behavior, shooting black people in such a cavalier fashion is sad and shocking. It’s as if they have never been trained properly. This will only stop when the guilty police officers are put on trial and sent to prison. There needs to be a clear message sent to the police that they will not get away with shooting people.
LikeLiked by 5 people
You’re right, Bill…until they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law…until their livelihoods are threatened and until they are given the punishments they deserve for their “crimes,” none of this will change.
Again, you don’t have to be a minority to feel that wrong in all of this.
Thanks, Bill, and be grateful for where you live.
LikeLike
I’m not going to say racism doesn’t exist because we all know it does. I also work in law enforcement. Ms. Underwood was right when she said there are good policemen out there. I honestly believe the majority of law enforcement officers are good. It’s the ones that aren’t that concern me, and they do need to lose their freedom if they abuse their power. The world needs to start judging people based on their actions and not the color of their skin.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I totally agree with you, Beth. Abuse of power…too much of that, going on for too long. Trigger-happy law enforcement officers should be banned to their basements with toy guns for entertainment.
Thanks for dropping by, Beth 🙂
LikeLike