We all have to react and act. This can't continue.
When we consider the racist and violent roots of this situation, I'm sure that we conjure up all kinds of emotions given our life experiences. For some of us, we clearly know how we learned to be racist--we can look back at scenes in our lifetime that promoted racist beliefs, fears, and hatred. Fortunately for some of us, we had dedicated educators, family members, colleagues, and friends who have helped us to work against that racism and understand what we have to do to keep working against this hateful, learned behavior.
For others this brings to mind the racism they face daily. The heartache and loss that racism has created in their lives and the fear that someone they love will endure such hate, violence, and/or death.
And then there are some who have not even reckoned with inhumanity, oppression, violence, and death that racism causes in society, and even some who perpetuate these crimes against humanity in words or acts.
Each of us has to make a commitment with regard to what we will do to combat this racist hatred, violence, and murder in society. Each of us has to find a way to stand up and make a difference in our communities in this regard.
I will read White Fragility.
I will re-look at the lessons related to racism that I teach at school and revise for the better.
I will work with colleagues to think about our teaching/learning environment through a lens of racism and how we might work against the racism that exists and holds children back from the opportunities and positivity possible.
Those are first steps. I'll keep reading, listening and learning. I'll vote for anti-racist candidates for office and speak out against candidates that stay passive in the face of racism or support policies and actions that promote racism.
The United States benefits from equity and opportunity for all people. It does not benefit when any one of us is the victim of hatred, oppression, and exclusion. We all must act. What will you do?