What can we learn?
It has taken awhile for me to write about the case of
Trayvon Martin. My heart has been heavy
from watching the case, hearing the debates, the outcries of many and the
unfortunate act itself. It was not long ago that we heard those same
cries for Oscar Grant, another young man, gunned down. But my heart is heaviest for my cousin who lost his life
just a few months ago. The parents of
those children have lost a son, an irreplaceable son.
I can only imagine the pain of losing a child, it has to be
an incurable state that lingers, because there is no replacement, a permanent
loss, one that cannot be explained. It
is the empathy of a nation that feels for those parents. For me, it has been the empathy for my auntie,
who is handling this with strength, and with the love of her daughter’s. Trayvon’s parents were blessed to have two sons,
which does not make the tragedy any less tragic, but my aunt lost her only son.
It is clearly an injustice, but not just for
them, but for our whole nation. We all
have lost a son.
But how many sons do we need to lose in order to realize
that we are more alike than different? How
long will we let our fears be the catalyst that kills us? It makes you hold your child a little longer,
talk a little bit more, spend a little
more time actually being a parent. It’s
a shame to think that this could happen to any of our children. If we close our eyes to see, we are all the
same. It is our open eyes that fool us
to believe otherwise. It’s not that we
fear the other person so much, but what we are, who we are and what we become
when faced with the unknown. There is no
kindness or understanding in fear.
It’s obvious there is a lot missing in a society that says
it’s ok to kill what you don’t understand.
To blame with no accountability for your own actions. If you
take away our men, you take away the pillars of this nation, the creators, and
the builders. You force mothers to become more than their
role requires, and again to raise our sons.
A resilient race we are, but how many times do we have to prove it?
There are a lot of
Mr. Zimmerman’s in the world, colorless men who are trying to find their place,
find their identity, and confirm it through malicious acts; but there are more
of us who will stand and correct. Stand
with love and not fear, correct with a firm tone and set you on the right
path. We must become what we desire for
our children, and for this nation. Seek
understanding and love. Try traveling
outside what is comfortable for you and embrace our differences, we all have
something to learn and everything to gain when we are united. The fight is the
common thread that connects us all, let’s not ever give up on teaching, sharing
and most of all loving.
Today, do something for someone else that does not look like
you, shake a hand, or just say hello. Educate through example.
Let’s break down this wall of fear!!!
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