Now what?

Sigh….deep breath….another deep breath. There is so much going on in this world, from Covid-19 global plaguing to the senseless death of Black Americans to protesting and riots across this country. There are so many things that continue to sadden us during these interesting times. This past week has been overshadowed by gloomy days. It seems as though the sun will never shine again. I see the clouds of defeat, weariness, pain, and just plain anger. I could go on and on, but I won’t.

Shortly after the start of the pandemic, my cousin shared an article with me on grief. When I initially saw the title, I thought she was sending it to me because of our recent loss (my aunt and father died within a month of each other). As I read the article, I realized it wasn’t just about the grief of losing a loved one, but the loss of normalcy caused by Covid-19. This whole pandemic has dealt with each of us differently, whether it was the loss of a job, a loved one, or just your normal routine, we all have suffered a loss. We all felt something. In the midst of dealing with the grief caused by Covid-19, death comes back to back to back and the grief is magnified. Most times the death of someone is a great loss and it feels unfair, but what happens when it really is unfair?

The loss of the lives of so many Black Americans by those that took an oath to serve and protect is absolutely sickening. This has been going on for 400 years, but we must figure out ways to make it better, the question is how? Where do we go from here?

We must be committed to ensuring this is not a one-hit-wonder, being upset at this moment is a given, but it is what we do moving forward that will bring about real change. I believe we all have a part to play, not everyone is meant to protest, maybe your role is to use your voice by calling issues of racism out or joining a task force or going to your local police department to figure out ways of bridging the conversation. I developed a list of things we can all do moving forward.

1. Pray and ask God for guidance.

2. Acknowledge there is a problem, racism still exists in the United States of America.

3. Show empathy and grace to others.

4. Call racism out and take a stand if/when you witness it – Use your voice.

5. Find your place, figure out based on your gifts and abilities what your role will be to be apart of the solution and not the problem.

Communication is a big part of the start, it’s time to put our big girl/boy pants on and have hard conversations on race matters. White and black must come together and be a part of the solution. We must listen and we must speak from our hearts. And most importantly we need to exercise our right to vote and Vote!

Just like you, I’m figuring out my next steps for my part, educating myself on the issues, and figuring out how I can use my platform to be a part of the conversation. Let’s not continue to bury someone’s child, husband, son, or daughter again at the hand of a police officer!! Let us keep the legacy of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others alive. We can do this by moving forward to bring about change injustice, holding those in office accountable, and being a part of the solution in building a better tomorrow for our future. So, now what?

Here are some resources I found that can be helpful:

The Creative Collective NYC posted abut the roles in social change, check out the post (click here).

Additional resources can be found within this article, Anguish and Action, click here for link.