Silence is killing my brothers and sisters of color. I can’t stay silent anymore. For 38 years I would pride myself on the fact that I didn’t think that I was racist and that I was “color blind”. As a matter of fact I wrote a persuasive paper my senior year of high school as to why I believed black people were better than white people. In my teenage years, I would always talk about how I wanted to marry someone black so that I could have black kids. I would get so mad at the “racist people”… As a white woman, with a majority of white friends, it wasn’t until my eyes were opened 2 years ago the importance of seeing color. Being “color blind” means that you don’t see and acknowledge all of the beauty of God’s creation. You don’t see all of the hurts, isolations, prejudices, gifts, callings, and stories. Our colors are formational in making us who we are as individuals. Being “color blind” is a disservice to our brothers and sisters of color. 

Through our infertility journey, my husband and I became parents through the adoption of two beautiful black sons. They not only made me a mom, but they helped open my eyes to the world they come from and the world they will continue to live in, UNTIL WE SPEAK UP. 

This week we received news that a brother of color can’t even go for a jog without being killed. If the tables were turned and it was a white man running that was killed by black men, they would have been arrested with horrible sentencing faster than a video could go viral. THIS IS NOT OKAY. 

One of my sons suffers from what will be a life long struggle with an impulse disorder. The reality of what his life will look like differs greatly from the reality of what a white boy with the same struggle will experience with a greater degree of stigma, difficulty, misunderstanding, and even risk to his own life.  THIS IS NOT OKAY.

I think what breaks my heart most is how silent my fellow white brothers and sisters are. We are blinded by our white world filled with our white privilege. I understand that some of us may not really understand that modern day slavery, lynching, and discrimination still happens today, so we don’t feel the magnitude. We don’t live through the stares, the judgement, the comments, the isolation, the prejudices, or the disrespect. So, if you are one of my white brothers and sisters, I want to encourage you to educate yourselves. Read the books, watch the documentaries, and most importantly expand your circles. Our circle of friends should look like heaven. We should sit in rooms where we see all shades and backgrounds. 

Let us love all. Let us fight for each other and our well-beings. Let us be like Jesus.

I commit to you to do what I can to be an atmosphere shifter. I will be running with Jason for Ahmaud tomorrow to raise awareness and honor him on what would have been his birthday. I have signed the petition. I am doing what I know to make an impact.

If you haven’t heard about the most recent horrific murder, do so here.