And then, I unraveled. I bowed my head and prayed. Prayed to understand. Prayed to know what to do, what to say. Prayed for my brothers and sisters in this world. Prayed for my students. Prayed for our nation. Prayed for our leaders. Prayed for our state and local governments. Prayed for our children. Prayed for the prophet. Prayed for other religious organizations.
I may not ever understand the weight that has been felt. I may not understand the anger, frustration, oppression, or depth of sorrow. But, I want to learn. How are you feeling? What does a day look like for you? How are you so confident and strong? You are the experts of your experience and it is time for us to listen.
I read a great article giving tips about how to reach out to people of color at this time. I particularly appreciate that I have been invited to take a stand. The article suggests that doing something is better than doing nothing. Sometimes I am afraid I am not doing the 'right thing' so I shy away from it. I haven't been one to be very vocal about certain topics. Mostly because I was scared of what others would think about me.
How silly is that? Me, scared to voice my deep concern because of what people would think of me, or whether a company would hire me, or if a person would want to date me? Nope, not anymore.
And so, I take to writing this now. I STAND WITH YOU. I will also reach out to my legislators and will be more proactive in engaging in this conversation. In the meantime, here are some things that have touched my heart and express far better than I can, how I am feeling.
From the Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson (read the full post here):
We join with many throughout this nation and around the
world who are deeply saddened at recent evidences of racism and a blatant
disregard for human life. We abhor the reality that some would deny others
respect and the most basic of freedoms because of the color of his or her skin.
We are also saddened when these assaults on human dignity
lead to escalating violence and unrest.
The Creator of us all calls on each of us to abandon
attitudes of prejudice against any group of God’s children.
During the Savior’s earthly mission, He constantly
ministered to those who were excluded, marginalized, judged, overlooked,
abused, and discounted. As His followers, can we do anything less? The answer
is no! We believe in freedom, kindness, and fairness for all of God’s children!
Let us be clear. We are brothers and sisters, each of us the
child of a loving Father in Heaven. His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, invites all
to come unto Him—“black and white, bond and free, male and female,” (2 Nephi
26:33). It behooves each of us to do whatever we can in our spheres of
influence to preserve the dignity and respect every son and daughter of God
deserves.
Here is one of my favorite YouTube videos that give me hope and courage to do the right thing:
A beautiful painting that represents how I feel (by artist Diana Pedott):
This video also helped me understand something I hadn't thought about before. I am grateful for its educational intent and the discourse it can create:
I realized a while ago that advocacy and political involvement can go a long way, even if it is small. I know that if I want to see social change, I need to know what I am asking for, and be more specific about recommendations and thoughts. Here are some great articles that talk about the 'why' behind contacting state and local representatives.
- Even though this article talks about animal welfare, I found it is one of the best, talking about what contacting legislators will do and how it operates when standing up for human rights.
- Contacting Congress Information
- Some great information about standing against racism from the YWCA.
- Stand up for Human Rights (UN for Human Rights initiative)
I love you all and stand with you to end these abuses.
#loveoneanother #blacklivesmatter #istandwithyou #fightracismresponsibly #standupforhumanrights #stoptheviolence
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