Grieve

This week was a week of mourning.
The world is watching the community of Minneapolis respond to the unjust death of George Floyd. The footage circulating over and over, the image of a man lifeless on the ground. These images carry with them a certain kind of trauma. The trauma of a community who has seen these images over and over, hearing the statement of I can’t breathe and authorities completely callous. It was not too long ago when Philando Castille was also shot by police in his car in front of his girlfriend and with a young child in the backseat. Every Black person that has lost their lives at the hand of a law enforcement officer is someone’s son, brother, father, friend or neighbor. Their humanity was reduced to suspect, and it is that very dehumanization that must be stopped.

To grieve is to be human, there is no right way to grieve. Grief bubbles up in anger, depression, numbing, questioning. Grief coupled with injustice after injustice is unbearable culminating in what we now see as the open wound of racism in American society. This grief lies with every Black parent who gets the phone call of their worst nightmare. No one has a right to judge this grief, that has not bore the brunt of it.

And now more than ever it is a time for collective mourning, solidarity and action; this is our battle too. The only way to heal the wound is to be anti-racist. Many may look at Minneapolis and think it is war zone, but the story that is not being told is that of Latinos, Black and other communities standing together and denouncing injustice. We are our brother’s keeper. We cannot stay silent. We must do something if it will ever get better. Speak up in your sphere of influence. Click below to support anti-racist organizations and the George Floyd memorial fund.
www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/

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