As I'm sitting here watching the news on the Ferguson case, my heart severely hurts.
First of all, it hurts for two families in particular. It hurts for the families of Officer Darren Wilson and Michael Brown. Despite every political and racial agenda that is currently being pushed to the table, these two families are really going through a tragic time. My heart goes out to Michael Brown's parents. No matter what the boy was doing, those two lost their son and nothing will ever be able to change that. Officer Darren Wilson has been put in the public eye for months for what seems to be a self-defense case and will continue to be in the public eye for quite some time. I pray that these two families receive peace and comfort in the days to come.
That is not the only reason my heart hurts though. I'm sitting here watching the news and all I can think about are the thousands of people who are going to wake up today without a job because their places of employment were burned to the ground. I'm thinking about the shop owners who have put so much of their lives into owning their own businesses who are going to wake up today to a pile of ash. I'm thinking about the children who will no longer have a great Thanksgiving meal because their parents lost their job. I'm thinking about the impact that that this is going to have on thousands of families whose children will not receive Christmas presents because their parents lost their jobs during a "peaceful protest". I'm thinking about the families of the officers who are sitting beside the phone waiting to hear if their loved one is going to make it out of this alive. I'm thinking about the Veterans who are having to watch the American Flag being burned by individuals with no respect for the millions of soldiers who lost their lives so that we could freely wave that flag.
My heart hurts for my country.
My heart hurts for my leaders.
My heart hurts for my future students.
My heart hurts for the family that I will have one day who will live in a nation like the one we live in today.
I heard a guy on the news earlier, after setting fire to a building, say: "This is what happens when you keep killing black people! What did you expect to happen!?"
The problem is: this is exactly what was expected. We all knew this was going to be the result. The problem is that instead of a peaceful protest to combat violence, the people of Ferguson are now fearing for their lives.
The race card is being thrown around HEAVILY right now. and the real problem is that no one wants to acknowledge that there REALLY IS a racial divide in America. Black people are screaming that white people are to blame for their misfortunes. White people are screaming that black people are lazy and need to get a job.
I'm screaming that you are all ignorant in your own way right now.
Until each group steps up and realizes that YOU WE ARE THE PROBLEM, nothing will ever be fixed. Tolerance in this nation is non-existent. We do not love our neighbor like we love ourselves. We love our white neighbor like we love ourselves but maybe not the black neighbor. We love our black friends like we love ourselves but maybe not the white friend. I know that we live in a nation where racism is ever so alive. but why scream out only when the black man is shot by a white man?? why scream out when a white man is shot by a black man??
WHY NOT SCREAM OUT WHEN VIOLENCE OCCURS IN GENERAL??? RACIAL ISSUES SHOULD NOT JUSTIFY THE TURMOIL THAT YOU ARE CURRENTLY PUTTING YOUR CITY THROUGH!
Why can't we stand up as a nation and see that we are racially divided in a way that is going to destroy our country? Why can't we see that our young people are being taught that this is how white people do things and this is how black people do things? Why can't our young people be taught that this is how you succeed, no matter what the color of your skin is???
My heart hurts for our students.
Earlier this year while doing my field work at the school, I corrected a student on how to structure her sentences. Her response? "But Miss Thomas, that's how white people say that! I'm not white. This is how I say that."
My. Heart. Shattered.
Our students are being taught about this racial divide long before they even realize it. White students are "victims" of white privilege and black students are victims of "acting white". White students are looked at as never having issues because of the color of their skin. Black students who articulate and try to better themselves risk ridicule and mockery by their peers for "acting white".
WHY DOES OUR BEHAVIOR AND THE COLOR OF OUR SKIN HAVE A DIRECT CORRELATION?!?!
It shouldn't matter!
If you're a good person, I can assure you it's because of your HEART-- NOT the color of your skin! Until we as a nation realize this, we will continue to accept the fact that we are divided based on the color of our skin like we are 3rd world Neanderthals instead of equal citizens of one of the greatest nations in the world.
My hope is not that we will fix this problem tomorrow. I'm a realist. I know that is not going to happen. My hope for our nation is that those of us with words strong enough to influence others continue to use them to bring awareness to the fact that our country is going up in smoke unless we stand up and acknowledge that we are ALL the problem.
May God bless the people of Ferguson and all of the families involved. My heart hurts for you and I am praying for you all.
-E
