Silent No More

So many times in my life, I have had a chance to state what I know is right...and was silent. 

Silent for two reasons: First, I was afraid of making waves. As an “almost liberal” person in a VERY conservative part of the country, I knew that a lot of my opinions were at best, unpopular, and at worst, unwelcome. It’s easier to just “be quiet and let the grown-ups talk,” so to speak. The danger in this, however, is that eventually, I won’t have a voice at all. And neither will those who I will represent. Maybe, just maybe the “kids” in this situation have a point? 

The second reason is a bit more complex. 

Many times, I have stayed silent because I feel unqualified and on some level, unworthy to have an opinion. Words are powerful, and many times I have encountered folks who have unintentionally hurt the very people they were trying to help...and were grieved because of it. 

I have read the statement, “Better to keep your mouth shut and look like a fool than open it and remove all doubt.” But our very silence is a statement. And there are things I can no longer be silent on. 

A couple of months ago, a young black man was murdered in cold blood. Full stop. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. 

(And MISS ME with any justification for it. Look, I don’t care if you have DNA evidence that he burglarized those houses. Read the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Due process should still be a thing.) 

Here’s facts for you: If that man was white, he would still be alive. If those two murderers were black, they would probably be dead right now. And they SURE AS HECK wouldn’t be free, with charges not even being filed. 

That’s just the honest truth. And it makes me sick. 

It sickens me that going for a jog is a death sentence for people of color. It saddens me that the color of one’s skin remains “reasonable suspicion” for some people. And it scares me that people that I love could easily find themselves in the same situation. 

To quote my favorite novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, 

“They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it—seems that only children weep.”

Maybe “the kids” have a point.