Senselessness and Atrocities

I have struggled with the senselessness of this past week. I have not had the words to express my sadness, anger, frustration.

How can a man be dead when he complied with officers? How does NOT ONE officer in attendance step in and say, "Enough?" How does one who has so many complaints against him still patrol the streets? What has allowed this behavior to continue? How does it take so long to arrest the offending officer? I have so many questions and no answers. 

And then the rioters. I believe in peaceful protest. Yes, Martin Luther King Jr said, "A riot is the language of the unheard." But he also said, "Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.” 

How does burning down local businesses, restaurants, and looting further the cause? Rather than focusing on the truth of what happened, those who are violently protesting are distracting from what happened. They are hurting the very people who are continually pushed down. Their businesses, places of employment, potential homes, libraries, stores. Everything in flames. To what end? 

I believe in supporting our brothers and sisters and fighting for equality. It is a fight that everyone must take up. It is no longer acceptable to stand and watch others beaten down over and over with no response. No change. Just words. We all must speak out against police brutality. We must look at everyone with the eyes of a child, who sees no color until we tell them what to see. We must love our neighbor as ourselves. 

I believe in respect for all. I have been talking a lot this week to the boys about respect. Respect for everyone, no matter what they look like, their beliefs, their place in life. We talked about how some people who should deserve respect sometimes do things that lose respect. 

I believe in honoring color. I saw a quote on my friend's FB page (I will tribute it as soon as I can find out who said it), "'I see no color' is not the goal. 'I see your color and I honor you. I value your input. I will be educated about your lived experiences. I will work against the racism that harms you. You are beautiful. Tell me how to do better.'... That's the goal." I love this quote. It is how we grow to embrace all experiences. 

I have been talking to them about race. That some people are treated differently because of the color of their skin. We talked about how they are half Korean. While they don't look fully Asian, they don't look Caucasian either. I don't know if it was the right thing to do, but I want them to be prepared the first time someone is unkind to them because they are half Korean. I told them that someone might say something unkind to them because of this. M looked at his hands, turned them over, and said sadly, "But Mommy, my skin is peach." My heart just about broke. They don't see the skin color of any of their friends. But they also have somehow learned that our society values "peach" skin. 

How do we become part of the solution?