Friday, July 8, 2016

Current Events: Pause for the Cause(s)

This week millions of Americans celebrated independence day: black, white, brown, and albino, and then a few days later the news of two fatal police shootings shook the "entire nation," rather it should have. (Click here for the stories.) Once the news broke, it exposed the fractures and fault lines of America. #BlackLivesMatter was once again (and frustratingly so) the subject of discussion with sentiments ranging from "If they'd done... they'd still be alive" to "I don't understand why they keep doing this to us" and whole lot of in between!

While I agree that #BlackLivesMatter, I also know that this issue is deeper than race. It's much deeper than systematic oppression, and much deeper than police brutality. This is an issue of good versus evil, light versus dark, and heaven versus hell. If you disagree, think about this. You have a black friend in the LGBT community whose life was turned upside down after the shootings in Orlando. People were killed because of their sexual preference/identification. Take it even further and think about the possibility of another friend who is black, LGBT, and raised Islamic who is hated because of the actions of another radical extremist group!

Prejudice and categorization exists to create division, disdain, and a lack of trust within communities that, if we could ban together with a positive purpose, would become an unstoppable force for good. Don't let you absence from the groups being affected stop you from speaking. Don't allow your absence from a certain struggle cause you to belittle the struggle and rights of those in that struggle. We must all come together and learn to empathize with our fellow human being. We must realize that there is more at play than race.Think about this:


While we crusade for racial equality (which is a VERY worthy cause), the unseen hands that shape our country are pushing forward agendas that will take our rights away and have us stuck with no one to depend on but the very people that we are so prejudiced against.

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