A scant 6 and half months ago, we were all raising our glasses of champagne, staring into midnight skies lit up with blockbuster pyrotechnic shows, thankful that 2019 was over, and we were given this blank slate of a new year. And this was not just any new year either. This was the much anticipated 2020, with its promise of a bright and shiny modern way of doing and being in the world meant to signify that we, all humans, had arrived at the precipice of greatness.
But alas, 2020 has been everything except great. Thus far, it has been a steaming shit show of events no one could have predicted. And while many things have changed, many other things have remained depressingly the same. Because no matter how hopeful any of us were about 2020, somewhere in the deeper recesses of our minds, we knew the systemic racism that plagues people of color in the United States was not going anywhere, not even in the much ballyhooed 2020.
When Amy Cooper warned Christopher Cooper that she would call the police and tell them that he was threatening her, all because she did not want him telling her to leash her dog in the section of Central Park that requires dog leashing, I watched the video, shook my head, marveled at the caucacity of it all. I exhaled in relief that this encounter ended only with a mild 15 minutes of fame for Christopher Cooper.
Then I saw another video. Ahmaud Arbery is gunned down by white men who think they are protecting their property from a serial burglar, only really he is a college student out for a jog. A few days later, another video, a white police officer casually kneeling on the neck of a black man already restrained and clearly subdued, killing him with casual disdain. Then another news headline about a young EMT, Breonna Taylor, who was killed while sleeping in her home because the police served a no-knock warrant and her fiance rightfully positioned himself to protect her, himself, and their homestead. Then the gut-wrenching image of a police officer shouting "I got him!" after he shoots Rayshard Brooks in the back twice, even though he was fleeing the police, and their kicks to his body as he lay dying on the ground.
No tears will ever be enough, no fire hot enough, no rage deep enough to ease the pain of a mother’s loss of her child. The senseless, racially motivated murders of Black sons and daughters should fill all of us with all- consuming horror. These murdered adults are the same babies their mothers raised to be courteous, respectful, kind, and hopeful. 2020 still has us in a choke hold of fear every day.
And in spite of almost suffocating to death at the hands of hate, we still find a tiny space to inhale hope. Because just as I am screaming to the rafters that I cannot take another insult, another injury, another slight, another microaggression, another death in 2020, the world lifts its voice in chorus with mine, and I know I am not alone. For the first time I can remember, there is this outpouring of empathy from those who are in places of power who might be able to affect change where our lone angry black voices could not be heard before.
Thank you to all of the protesters, those on the front lines, both literal and figurative, who are not afraid to take the fight to the streets on behalf of their black brothers and sisters. Thank you to the Facebook warriors, taking on delusional Facebook trolls and debunking popularly held beliefs with links to Wikipedia articles and news reports. Thank you to all the CEOs, business leaders, and managers who are opening their office doors to host painfully candid conversations with the real intention of rooting out bias, prejudice, and exclusionary practices in their organizations. And thank you to all the elected government officials, attorneys, and policy makers who are re-examining the laws and their enforcement in an effort to eliminate the systemic racism that has held this country by the throat for 400 years.
2020 might not be everything I thought it was going to be, but it could be the beginning of even more than any of us ever imagined.
Some day, we'll all be free.
Happy Juneteenth!
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