There is a finger pointing debate raging between conservatives and liberals over who is more responsible for the uptick of the spreading of the Covid-19 virus. Liberals say it is the premature opening of Trump states and conservatives say it is the tweens, teens, and Black Lives Matter protesters. Here is my perspective. As many of you know I am the father, grandfather, and great-grandfather in a black family, so my choices are limited. Putting it mildly a nuclear bomb was set off in my lineage 401 years ago and the fallout is still keeping my family and friends from freely breathing. If that sounds too dramatic, recent examples should give you pause and reason to take the breath allowed you.
Thousands of liberals yelling, carrying signs, and screaming for justice are different than organized conservative pseudo-Klan meetings, ignoring their own safety edicts, to cheer a narcissist. They are simply not equivalent. I am not sure if people who are not the descendants of slaves understand the fear that has permeated my community for as long as I have lived. Getting “the talk” a two-word phrase that has become a vogue saying in recent years is a real thing. Being sat down and told when you are in a store keep your hands out of your pocket, or if you are stopped in your car by the police, keep your mouth shut, “REGARDLESS,” is confusing when you see white foils, literally get a sandwich and drink after murdering nine black people in a church.
Waiting to hear your kids' voices in a late evening phone call, and finally taking a breath knowing that they got home from work without a bullet hole or someone on their neck is stressful. It is not only the police brutality but white citizens terrorizing people of color who are exposing a life that descendants of slaves have lived and talked about for years, thanks to Apple and Samsung. The outrage and disbelief from my white friends over the Amy Cooper incident and former officer Derek Chauvin’s killing of George Floyd came as no surprise in the black community.
For years black men and women have heard, just do what you are told, cooperate, and you will be ok. Say that, oh you can’t, to Breonna Taylor. Say that, oh you can’t, to Ahmaud Arbery, Say that, oh you can't, to Philando Castile and now say that, oh you can’t to Elijah McClain. My friends and I jokingly talked about police firing multiple warning shots into our backs when I was in junior high school, the fear starts early. That sort of gallows humor is how you cope. I watched the protest and saw many masks that were worn by protesters. All did not comply but most did. In contrast, Trump rally-goers made not wearing a mask a mission, endangering themselves and those around them for “FREEDOM.”
Safety has become a political issue for conservatives, but for me, the safety of my children has become a black life matter of survival.
Vote in 2020 for Change.