If you are choosing to read this post, I would encourage you to read it from beginning to end, lest you turn away believing that I believe anything less than all of the things that I believe pertaining to the matters that I intend to address.
Last Thursday night in Dallas, a national discussion became something more - a living breathing problem with tangible and measurable effects. It's one thing to talk about news elsewhere and another thing entirely to watch it unfold in your own backyard. It is not everyone who lives in a state of fearful awareness of all the hatred, injustice, and the dangers that exist outside their doors. We know it's out there in the world, but oftentimes we subconsciously rest assured that we will not be the target of these things. Dallas is suddenly very much aware of it, because it has now struck too close to home.
The interesting thing about this newfound awareness, is that many will remain unaffected still. The men who were targeted in Thursday's tragedy represent a limited demographic in Dallas - (white) police officers. Of course that means that not only the officers have to be concerned with this added danger to their lives, but also their many loved ones.
There is another population in Dallas who lives in that hyper state of awareness - black Americans, especially black American men. Black Americans did not need to see a national news event in their hometown to know how real and present their danger is, no matter where they are in the United States. Long before these last couple of years, when the names of young black American boys and men started making headlines in troubling stories of police brutality, we have experienced and been trained to be equipped for dealing with the systematic injustice towards black Americans that runs rampant in U.S. law enforcement.
From a young age many black children are taught how deal with law enforcement, especially white officers. We are taught to comply first and ask questions later, address officers with noteworthy respect - "yes sir" and "yes ma'am", even if they choose to address you without any respect at all, and to be mindful to say as little as possible, even when asked a question. We are taught that the youthful errors of a young white person, much less the other crimes, have graver consequences for a young black person. We are taught that perception is flawed and misguided, and that it has the potential to cause us harm when we have not done anything wrong. In short we are taught to remain fearfully aware and to act accordingly.
Because I am black, this issue of hatred, injustice, and the resulting danger has always been quite close to home. I can remember being watched by store managers and security guards when I went shopping - and I'm a girl - the problem is far worse for black boys. When we were in high school, my brother Uriah was pulled over by an officer while riding his bike - RIDING HIS BIKE! The questioning officer claimed that Uriah looked like a suspect that they were looking for at the time. I doubted the truth of that claim, but if I were to give him the benefit of the doubt, I would have to believe that he thought all black people looked the same. Of course the more likely story was that he could make that claim to pull over any black male and hope to find a reason to ticket him or take him in. Perhaps you read that and think that I must be paranoid. If that is the case, chances are that you simply do not understand, because you have not experienced that racism. I would encourage you to read this Huffington Post article on "white fragility".
My brother Uriah, myself, and my brother Isaiah some odd years ago when I was in high school. I think of their safety more and more with each passing occurrence of police brutality that is reported.
I have watched over the past couple of days as folks I know in Dallas (and elsewhere) share their position on all that is going on. Many people took to their social media pages right away and said what seemed to be the first things that came to their minds. Insightful and encouraging things were said. There were also not-so-insightful and less encouraging things said. The way people respond in the face of tragedy may show you a very different side of them.
A number of people felt that need to say that police lives matter or that all lives matter. I do not disagree with either of these statements, but I do find it disappointing to see how many people still do not understand what is meant by #BlackLivesMatter. When we say that black lives matter, we are saying that black lives matter too. The unspoken "too" says that black lives matter as much as all other lives. The worth of other lives, especially the lives of (white) law enforcement officers is rarely called into question or treated in such a way that one would question it.
The officers who were killed on Thursday have been and will continue to be remembered in an honorable light. We'll remember the best of them and likely know nothing at all of their flaws as human beings. Hundreds of people have already done what they can to pay their respects to these men. Their families cannot recover the loss of their loved ones, but they will have these comforts and their dignity before a watchful nation. This is just as it should be, because every one of those lives that were taken had value.
Let us now consider the lives of the two men who had just two days before been murdered unjustly. The media had to report the stories and so they did. But the media went further than that, as it often does in the case of black men who die at the hands of unjust officers. Within 24 hours the media questioned whether or not the murders were actually unjust. Within 48 hours the media dug up the past transgressions of these men who had died for reasons entirely unrelated to those transgressions. Outside of the BLM movement, there will be no national outpouring of support for the families who lost these men. The families will not get that dignity as they lay their loved ones to rest. Furthermore, they will be quickly forgotten, as the nation moves on to whatever the next big story may be. Their deaths and the injustice they suffered were in fact overshadowed by the tragedy that took place in Dallas. Were the lives of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile not valuable as well?
Now I understand that one significant difference between the officers and the civilians was that the officers died in the line of duty, which is of course commendable. However, that does not make the officers lives more valuable than that of the civilians who were killed.
In the wake of these recent events that have taken place, it is astounding to see how many people are still failing to see what the problem is. Police officers are being vilified by black Americans. Black Americans and BLM supporters are being vilified by white Americans. Neither of these institutions is inherently bad, and to be in support of one is not to declare war against another. You can in fact support both, as Trevor Noah so appropriately conveyed in his video addressing the shootings of Sterling and Castile. The problem that we are facing is an issue of injustice.
One key difference between the two aforementioned institutions is that only one of them is directly linked to a systematic problem of injustice. This is not to say that all officers are unjust, but that the institution they are a part of does in fact have a problem of injustice that remains to be solved.
Another key difference between the two is their common perceptions and misconceptions. The reason why police brutality can thrive in a country that prides itself on justice is because so many people, particularly those with the power to change it, are either turning a blind eye to the problem or somehow in complete denial. Worse yet, some may even be encouraging it. With evidence and facts that are quite plain to see, people are still trying to deny, downplay, excuse, and maybe worst of all, justify the unjust murders of black civilians and the systematic problem of prejudice and racism in our law enforcement system. The inability to perceive the reality of this problem keeps it very much alive.
As for the BLM movement, people are quick to perceive them as "anti-white", simply because they are "pro-black". The fact that these terms even exists indicates a serious problem with race in our country. People also assume that BLM supporters hate police officers. The fact that BLM supporters condemn the actions of officers who commit wrongful acts against black Americans does not mean that that they hate all officers. Many people do not know that their position expands beyond police brutality into other systematic racial issues in our country. The lack of interest in perceiving BLM activists and supporters accurately makes it that much more challenging for the movement to be successful.
I've said a lot and still it's not enough. Whether you know me or not, I appreciate that you've taken the time thus far to read my thoughts. If you know me at all, I hope that you'll try to truly consider and understand my thoughts. And if you love me at all, I hope that you will act in such a way that I know these thoughts meant something to you.
Here are some things that I'd really like you to consider and act upon.
Every life has equal inherent value and every person should be treated accordingly. It is not okay for anyone to unjustly or needlessly murder a civilian or a police officer. And in the event that a man's life is taken, it is our duty to mourn with those who mourn, not to dredge up the regrettable moments of their past or to diminish the loss of those they leave behind.
In a nation that has come through decades of necessary reform, we still have a long way to go, and the only chance we have of reaching the full measure of the very notion of justice that our country was founded on, is to admit what is truth, discuss it with candor, and act to improve what is broken.
We are not too small as individuals to make a difference. We can begin by choosing to give up preconceived notions and misconceptions. We can choose to have conversations that help us to perceive one another's reality.
Cliche as it may sound - love one another. As a Christian, I am called to love everyone, and whether or not you share my faith, I think we can agree that humanity is better off when we abide by that simple call to love.
I want to end by extending my condolences to the families of the aforementioned civilians and officers who died, as well as those whose related deaths followed Thursday night's events. It is painful to lose your loved one, and more terrible still to lose them at the hand of a fearful or hateful stranger. To the officers who put their lives on the line to protect us everyday, I thank you for your service and pray for your safety. To every black man, woman, and child, I pray for your safety as well, and for grace from God to walk in such a way that no one might question your innocence or your strength.