Exceptional Stop all forms of racism - We are better than this! Give Me Twenty Reasons by moonsunrise This Sentence Starts The Story contest entry Artwork by Raoul D'Harmental at FanArtReview.com

Give me twenty reasons why I should not be peacefully protesting racism. Oh! You say you cannot, well let's see if I can shed some light on the subject. Here are twenty 20 reasons I can peacefully protest: Freddy Gray, Sam Dubose, Philando Castile, Terrence Crutcher, Alton Sterling, Jamar Clark Jeremy McDole, William Chapman II, Walter Scott, Eric Harris, Tamir Rice, Akai Gurley, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Sean Reed, Trayvon Martin, Rayshard Brooks and George Floyd. There are many others not mentioned above that have been victims of horrendous hate crimes over the last four hundred years; just because of the color of their skin. I read a short essay written by Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch stating that the recent killing in Minnesota of George Floyd has forced the country to "confront the reality that, despite gains made in the past 50 years, we are still a nation riven by inequality and racial division. Amid escalating clashes between protesters and police, discussing race--from the inequity embedded in American institutions to the United States' long and painful history of anti-black violence--is an essential step in sparking meaningful society changes." How American society remembers and teaches the horrors of slavery is crucial. But as recent studies have shown, many textbooks offer a sanitized view of this history, focusing solely on "positive" stories about black leaders like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. Prior to 2018, Texas schools even taught that states' rights and sectionalism--not slavery--were the main causes of the Civil War. And, in Confederate memorials across the country, writes historian Kevin M. Levin, enslaved individuals are often falsely portrayed as loyal slaves. I believe all lives matter, but I do see how the movement "Black Lives Matter" began. They are not saying that just black lives matter. They are saying that black lives should matter as much as any other person's race does. Many consider the movement to be anti-police officers but this is incorrect. The protesters are asking for police reform, not the removal of police from society. It saddens and angers me to think that all forms (biological, sexual, cultural, racism by skin color, racism by disability, racism for the difference of religion, racism of social class, internalized racism, space racism, institutional racism, subtle racism, colorism, xenophobia, ageism, unknowing/unintentional racism and aver racism) continue to this day in our society. Reflecting on why I chose to write on this topic was that it pained me to read about such occurrences like "The Gnadenhutten Massacre" when Native American Indians were slaughtered and another instance in 1782 when a group of militiamen from Pennsylvania killed 96 Christianized Delaware Indians, illustrating the growing contempt for native people. They were looked upon as Savages. Another incident occurred during the French and Indian wars between 1754 and 1767, when British soldiers distributed smallpox-infected blankets to American Indians to kill them. I further pondered very agonizingly on the holocaust and all the innocent people murdered in Germany which ended in 1945 when the Nazis were defeated by the Allied powers. The term Holocaust is derived from the Greek word holocaust, which means sacrifice by fire. It refers to the Nazi persecution and planned slaughter of the Jewish people and others considered to be inferior to "true" Germans. The Hebrew word Shoah which means devastation, ruin, or waste--also refers to this genocide. In addition to Jews, the Nazis targeted the Roma, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and people with disabilities for persecution. Those who resisted the Nazis were sent to forced labor camps or murdered. There are so many other atrocities, too many to mention, that have occurred since the beginning of time. While further contemplating on my writing I came to the deduction that the death of George Floyd has inflamed many years of racism. Mr. Floyd never had the right to a trial and jury for whatever it is that the police were there to arrest him for. His life was crushed right out of him in front of everyone to see over 8 minutes and 46 seconds. My God, he was saying "Sir, I can't breathe" and calling out for his mother and is now resting beside her. People who are born into a white family cannot begin to understand what the black, brown, Native American, etc. Communities have had to endure. Also, children learn what they live and what they are taught. This is why I truly believe it is imperative that education must start in the home with elders of the family ((grandparents, parents, aunts, uncle) the mentors of future generations. Hate does not begin at birth; it is a learned behavior which grows and grows. One might think me naive in my thought process, but I choose to believe that there are many more good than evil people in our world. Society can change for the better if it truly wants to. This morning while watching mass on television Father John Paul Mary on EWTN, during his homily, referenced Psalm 27 which is a prayer/poem attributed to King David; it is a cry for help in a time of great distress. He continued by saying "The Lord is Our Light and Our Salvation" while mentioning the importance, especially in this time, to see the face of God in every human being's face that we meet. While still pondering on what Father had said I started to think of people like Charles, Manson, Ted Bundy, Adolf Hitler, Derek Chauvin and others and questioned how one could ever see the face of God in any of them. After Mass I discussed this with my husband, and I believe he had a very profound answer which was "Evidently each one of them did not see the face of God in them. If they had they would have never committed the violent acts they perpetrated". I cannot stress enough how now is a time for change. To quote Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 " To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace I have high hopes in our younger people as they don't appear to possess the prejudices that their older generations instilled in them. I would like to close with a very emotional favorite song of mine entitled "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" which was sung by "The Hollies" in 1970. I truly believe that our world would be a better place if everyone could adhere to the words and just treat each other as they would want to be treated. The road is long With many a winding turn That leads us to who knows where Who knows where But I'm strong enough to carry him He ain't heavy, he's my brother. So on we go His welfare is my concern No burden is he to bear We'll get there For I know He would not encumber me He ain't heavy he's my brother If I'm laden at all I'm laden with sadness That every one's heart Isn't filled with the gladness Of love for one another. It's a long, long road From which there is no return While we're on the way to their Why not share And the load Doesn't weigh me down at all He ain't heavy He's my brother Author Notes I grew up in a middle class family with parents who truly believed "we are all created equal and in God's image". In my early twenties (having had my own two children) I became a day care provider through "The Saint Agnes Guild". I had multiple little children (all ethnicities) that I cared for over the years and grew to love as my own. There was never a thought racism in my family. I have had many friends of different ethnicities during my lifetime and it breaks my heart to see what others must go through because they "don't measure up" to certain people and are judged so unfairly. I chose to write pertaining to this topic hoping to create an awareness of what is still transpiring in our society today. In closing, I would like to quote John 8:7 "When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Thank you for reading my submission. Thank you Raoul D'Harmental for the image.

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