Moving Toward Authentic Reconciliation

The issue at hand involves coming to an awareness, as a society, of the reality that the lives of POC (especially black lives) have not mattered in the same way that members of the dominant, white culture have been regarded. One of the principal reasons that this issue has reached a point of critical mass is the very real way in which the country is changing demographically. Very soon in our evolution, the white race will no longer be dominant in America and, as a consequence, our institutions are bound to reflect this change. For many of us, this change is a welcomed event, signaling a new, vibrant, multi-cultural, and more inclusive nation of fellow citizens. To others, it signals a loss of power and identity.
In order for us to move forward in unity and to heal internal wounds long left unattended, we must now come together in an honest confrontation of our past for the purpose of genuine reconciliation.
Once again, let us fully embrace the notion that all lives will never matter until and unless black (and all POC) lives also matter. Let's now commit to doing the work necessary to make this vision a living reality.

The Consequence of Stupidity

It was just announced that the freedom-loving patriots, who regard their defiance of the CDC's guidelines in the midst of a global pandemic as an act of personal liberty rather than necessary compliance to a public health imperative, have changed their battle cry/motto from 'live free or die' to the more accurate 'live free AND die'!

A Call For Reflection

In solidarity with Black Lives Matter and today's Black Out invocation, I invite you all to join me as we spend a period of time in deep reflection regarding ways in which we might help to eradicate racism...first in our own heart and then in the heart of the nation as we attempt to genuinely heal from this persistent wound. Perhaps we can make it a daily practice.

Hope Amid Tragedy

A hopeful consequence of the current upheaval in the wake of Mr. Floyd's murder is that in addition to 'justice' being regarded as an ideal and a somewhat abstract noun; it, like 'love', will now become an active and impactful verb commonly practiced throughout this ever-evolving society.

A Logical Conclusion

The press secretary to Vice President Pence and the personal valet to President Trump each has tested positive for Covid-19. If the most protected work place in America is not a safe environment for employees, then it is unconscionable to require workers to return to jobs in areas of the country where the case and death count continue to rise.

Experts Only

By announcing that he was suspending his participation in daily news briefings regarding the Covid-19 crisis because it was a waste of time, President Trump has finally given us something about which we all might agree. Henceforth, let's hope that medical professionals will be the only ones providing the vital and accurate information so very much needed to combat and eventually defeat this terrible disease.

Liberty, Sacifice, and Perspective

To those among us who have been declaring their right as free non-immune citizens to take the risk of returning to normal activity...yes, you have the right to take a personal risk that does not entail the endangerment of other people. You do not, however, have the right to reengage with society in midst of the largest pandemic in the last 100 years when such a decision is likely to lead to the infection of yourself and countless others who will have preceded you and who will follow in your wake. To put it another way, you may choose to proclaim your personal right to cast yourself from a cliff and risk the dire consequences of such a decision; at the same time, you do not have the right to tether yourself to hundreds of others who will be cast into the abyss following your lead.

In a time when thousands of medical professionals, hospital workers, transit employees, and first responders are putting their lives on the line 24/7 in the service of their fellow human beings, it is an act of quintessential selfishness to complain about the inconvenience of not enjoying the comforts of normal daily life. We are all being asked to make a variety of sacrifices in a collective effort to turn back the tide of this terrible disease. So when the next person cries out that his personal liberty has been threatened by the situation at hand, please direct their attention to the thousands who lie dying attached to respirators and to the heroic efforts of the medical personnel working tirelessly to save these precious lives; or to the other souls who will die alone at home or on the street for lack of access to medical care. Perhaps only then will it become clear that sacrifice, in all its manifestations, is precisely what is required of us all in the fight against the tyranny of the Covid-19 pandemic.