I wish I could say that I cannot believe the state of affairs in Charlotte, North Carolina tonight. I wish I could say that I am not surprised at the fact that just a couple of months ago I found myself sitting before my laptop preparing to weigh my words and release them into the cyber void where I hope that they might reach even one person and makes some difference. I wish I could say that after tonight, the worst is over, but I cannot say any of these things. The state of affairs in Charlotte tonight was likely to have occurred somewhere in our country amidst all of the tragedy and injustice surrounding ongoing police brutality and questionable decisions that several police officers made regarding black lives. I am weighing in, because silence is not an option in the face of the rightful unrest that compels people to protest. Tonight's protest will not be the last, because our nation's justice system has yet to yield a plan of action that will affect legitimate change in those areas of law that have systematically failed to protect and serve the lives of black (and other minority) Americans.
There really is not much that I can say tonight, much less anything I can say that I have not already said. I do want to say this however. What happened tonight was not (just) about Charlotte. Tonight was about a hurting mass of people in our country who are suffering heartbreak and fear as they watch men, women, and even children being mistreated and killed by those whom they are required to submit to and should have been able to trust. Tonight was about the preposterous notion, or rather, the preposterous reality that in this day and age where the advancement of technology and social media have enabled us to reach a quicker and more accurate conclusion of events as they happen, lawmakers can deny citizens the right to have real access to such video evidence. Tonight was about the fact that those people being affected by these issues have no where and real way to voice their concerns.
When you think about Charlotte tonight, and for the next few short days that it remains "newsworthy", please remember that today's event started out as a peaceful demonstration, and for every participant that chose to make it something else, there were several more who remained peaceful. Please realize that regardless of the moment when the protest got out of hand, and every moment after that, the protest is not the real problem. Our nation is a body and Injustice is a gruesome disease. While injustice is a disease with unpleasant symptoms, crippling effects, and the possibility of being fatal, it is neither terminal, nor incurable. Lawmakers and government officials are the scientists and the doctors who ought to be researching, investing in, and working to find the cure. Those of us who are dying or losing loved ones this disease should not be asked to refrain from showing our support for every person affected by it. Our show of support, our march for a cure - these are not as easily demonstrated as they might be for some other diseases. A black shirt or a black ribbon is not enough. Who is working on the cure for this disease? Who is raising or awareness or allocating funds to help us? We are so hard pressed to find them, and with so little success that it is easy to believe that they don't exist. Imagine how it feels to be led to believe that no one is interested in curing the disease that threatens to take the lives of those you hold dear. It is that near hopelessness and utterly frustrating feeling that drives people to the streets in protest.
Just as you would take part in a walk to cure cancer or an ice bucket challenge to cure ALS, whether it affected your life or not, should you not stand beside those of us who facing the challenges of and losing our loved ones to injustice each day? I do not make this comparison to diminish the gravity of diseases like cancer and ALS, but to help you understand the gravity of the injustice problem. I am not asking you to go out to the streets and protest tonight. Maybe I should be. What I am asking you to do, is to show some understanding at the very least, and not to look down on, or make monsters of those who are doing what little they can to bring about change.
Of course I do not condone any act of violence or needless disrespect during protest (or at any time). I wish that those who would resort to such behavior would reconsider it, since it is counterproductive and hurts others.
I watched tonight's live coverage of the event rather anxiously, fearing that I might see a protester, a police officer, a camera man, or a reporter get shot or otherwise harmed. Having been so anxious behind the screen of my television, I don't know if I can imagine how scary it would be for me stand out in the streets and be a part of it. I have wondered whether it is in fact my duty as a black American and also a Christian to go out and stand beside the men and women who would risk so much to deliver a message that so needs to be heard. I have not figured out whether I ought to or not, but I do know that I ought not to be silent in the midst of all that is transpiring.
This is not the first time in history that people have watched injustice playing out before them and been faced with a decision of whether or not to act. I looked at the words of wise men who had been afflicted by such times and had done their part to make a difference in those times. I was particularly struck by Elie Wiesel's words in his Nobel Acceptance in 1986:
“[I] swore never to be silent whenever, wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe.”
He went on to speak about how he as a Jew, was particularly sympathetic to issues that affected Jewish people, but recognized and sympathized with every people affected by injustice and suffering. I want to echo his sentiments as a black woman in a time like ours. I am of course particularly struck by the injustice facing black Americans in our nation, but today on a day that I woke up inspired by and prepared to celebrate in some small way an International Day of Peace, I am reminded of the need for prayer for every individual afflicted by suffering and injustice - not just here at home, where I can feel the effects, but around the world, where men, women, and children are dying unnecessary deaths and suffering from conditions that more fortunate people have the power to improve. Though I leave today just a little more discouraged than when the day began. I pray that God grants me the wisdom and the opportunity to enter every tomorrow more determined and able to do my part to change these things.