“You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own” – Michelle Obama
This quote from Michelle Obama got me thinking it’s time to speak up about the horrendous situation that the United States is facing right now. How in 2020 can it feel as if we have reverted to a time when slavery was legal, civil rights were not on the table, and brutal racism and xenophobia were pervasive? There is a lack of leadership in this White House but the fact is that open dialogue around these issues is only ever discussed when innocent black people are murdered, Muslims being banned from entering the country and children being stripped of their parents and left alone because they didn’t follow the legal immigration route have dropped off our conversation platter. We must discuss these topics openly and more often than not because WE NEED CHANGE!
It is no longer an option for those of us who live in a protected bubble to ignore what is happening to so many other people in our United States. OPEN YOUR EYES and look around you, there are people of all races, ethnicities, and genders here and we as humans need to work together to support each other and speak up.
This morning, I went out for my daily run quite early and I put myself in a person of color’s shoes. I had my face mask on, headphones over my ears, and I turned around to see if any car or person was behind me and then I started to cry. This happened because the notion of a person of color doing what I am doing but could be killed for a simple healthy act of taking a run is repulsive. I don’t want to live in a society which makes black and brown men, women, and children feel that because of what they look like on the outside determines their fate.
Did you know that humans all bleed red? Did you know that on our insides we have organs, tissue, a digestive system, bones, and muscles and color is irrelevant? If we look alike on the inside why does someone having different pigmentation on the outside mean they are somehow less important and are subject to the cruelty inflicted upon them? This needs to end and we need to do this together. It starts by opening our eyes wider and talking about it. I ask you to do that. Have that conversation with your friend, neighbor, family member, colleague, politician, and anyone you know.
#openyoureyes #blacklivesmatter
Jumping Jasmine 