Time for a change?

Ignoring the racial injustice because of the rioting is like writing off your favorite football team because their second-string Offensive Lineman is injured. Yes, that situation needs to be dealt with, but there is so much more that we should be focused on.

I don't support the riots and the burning of our cities, but I also understand that it is a mix of opportunists, anarchists and people who are feeling real pain and have no clue where to direct their anger. However, I am extremely encouraged when I look past the riots for a couple of reasons:

1.      The movement has some powerful leaders: If you have not seen Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms plea last night, you should watch it! Same goes for Killer Mikes speech. They have a powerful message, they have the mic and most people are willing to listen.

2.      The opposition is silent: I am not talking about the white supremacists…those guys will never shut up. However, look through the comments section on posts about the criminal cop in Minneapolis, or the racist DA in the Ahmaud Arbery case who said there were ‘no grounds for an arrest’. The comments are more one-sided than I have ever seen. While you should expect that because there is absolutely no ground to stand on in these cases, typically there is some opposition (See Botham Jeans murder as a perfect example).

3.      More people are ready to stand up and do something: We all have those friends that constantly remind us of the injustices going on through their posts. After time, I learned to scroll past to find the ‘fun’ part of Facebook. Then there are the occasional posters, who inform you of the ‘big’ events as they are happening. I always appreciated them, and would read about each event, but would refrain from posting because I was afraid I would upset someone. This is different. While I have been a silent ally for most of my life, this is my first post about racial injustice…and it was spurred by a friends first post about racial injustice. This is not a White vs. Black thing; this is a RIGHT vs WRONG thing. You can #Backtheblue and stand up against racial injustice. You can vote Republican or Libertarian, and still stand up against racial injustice. You can understand that #BlackLivesMatter even if you are not raising a black life.

Recent events have taught me that we have a lot further to go than I had expected. However, my blinders are off and I am hopeful that these events can be the spark that ignites all of us to do whatever it takes to make this world a better place for our kids.

Now with all that said, I will go back to posting mainly about kids and fish and fun times. But I am here, I am ready to stand up, and if you made it this far than you just witnessed my transition from silent ally to vocal ally!