No words can really describe my feelings at this point from reading social media posts to watching the events as they unfold on the news. With the death of an African American man, another set of protests erupted all over the country. I am disappointed in the legal system allowing one human being who hold down another human being causing his death. I am disappointed in the people who would rather loot, vandalize, and destroy not only their own city but others to protest. But what I am more disappointed in is that many accept this type of behavior. Yet, after you destroy your city, you demand the government to rebuild it. There is no logic in that.
I have a 10-year old son that is growing up in this world. Like most, 2020 started as a year to be remembered and unwanted. At the end of 2019, his grandfather fell ill from cancer and ended up in the hospital in early January where he died five short days later, my husband and I fell quite ill for two+ weeks (as we believe that we had COVID), and he has seen a pandemic hit causing him to leave school abruptly and not be with his family. Now we must teach him about ignorance of what is happening in our country when lives are lost and others believe destruction is more important than justice for a man and his memory. What happened to George Floyd was inexcusable and justice needs to be served. However, if people would listen to the victim's family, they would know this is NOT what will help to get justice for Floyd. In fact, it is doing just the opposite. In a statement to the news, Floyd's girlfriend stated, "Waking up this morning to see Minneapolis on fire would be something that would devastate Floyd." The violence and destruction that is happening is causing Floyd's memory to be forgotten.
As an educated white women (and I use the word white because I am not ashamed of who I am), I cannot say how it feels to be an African American during this time. I cannot understand how it feels to feel betrayed by law enforcement and want justice. And I cannot know how it felt with ancestors living through times of slavery, bigotry, and inequality. But what I know how it feels when ignorance overcomes a person. I have been harassed, threatened, and even disgraced in a place that I should not have been. And no justice was served. But I did not use violence to protest the unfairness I received. And yes, it did not help and justice was NOT served. This is what I have to live with everyday of my life. Is this the same as a man losing his life? No, it is not. It is not even close. At some point in our lives, we have all felt unfairness.
According to Webster's dictionary, Ignorance is define as, "the lack of knowledge or information." I am not ignorant to the current situation as I teach in a vastly diverse area. I've seen ignorance and I have seen awareness. Unfortunately, ignorance has overcome.
When you destroy a city, it goes on lockdown. Stores are closed, curfews are established, roads are blocked, and streets are impassable. No one thinks about a person who needs medicine to live but cannot get it due to the destruction of a store. No one thinks about those who need essential items to survive. No one thinks about the workers who have to clean up so they can provide for families. No one thinks about the child who needs chemo the next day after violence erupts because roads are blocked. No one thinks about the family of the victims who lose their life. And no one thinks about others but themselves. This is ignorance.
I will stand by you, I will support you, and I will defend you. But I will not defend violence, theft, and destruction to support a cause. I will teach my son what is right; he will not grow up in a world where others believe that destroying cities will bring peace to one's memory. I cannot understand how stealing a pair of shoes, jewelry, sports equipment, or even television sets is a way to fight for equality and human rights.
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