Hurting People And Nation In Search Of Leadership And Love

This week, another African-American man was killed by police. His name was George Floyd. The police claim he was resisting arrest, but video evidence does not at this time support that claim. Outrage from his death has spread and inflamed old wounds and there is a lack of leadership and love. Protests and riots have spread across the nation. Some have said this is the worst, most widespread civil unrest since the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. George Floyd’s death was the straw that broke the camel’s back and caused the tension and pain ever simmering to boil over.

African Americans are in many ways treated like second class citizens. Higher rates of incarceration, unemployment, homicide, and lower levels of education are just some of the differences Black Americans face. People who have not lived the life African Americans have, will never be able to truly understand what they go through, no matter how empathetic they are. Anyone with a shred of empathy, sympathy, and humanity though should be grieved by what our Black brothers and sisters experience. We should all want those experiences to end however. We should all want our brothers and sisters to feel comfortable, happy, safe, loved, appreciated, and valued. No one should be placed in a position where they feel they are any less of a person or citizen than anyone else.

Show Leadership And Love: Remember Them

From the Civil War, to the Civil Rights Movement, America has struggled with equality, fairness, respect and love. Far too many people have been mistreated, raped, imprisoned, and killed only because of their skin colour. In recent years, we have seen the following killed by police who are sworn to protect and serve.

• George Floyd
• Michael Brown
• Philando Castile
• Sandra Bland
• Eric Garner
• Jamar Clark
• Charleena Lyles
• Terence Crutcher
• Rekia Boyd
• Sean Bell
• Tamir Rice
• Freddie Gray
• Danroy Henry
• Oscar Grant III
• Kendrec McDade
• Aiyana Jones
• Ramarley Graham
• Amadou Diallo
• Trayvon Martin
• John Crawford III
• Jonathan Ferrell
• Timothy Stansbury Jr
• Alton Sterling
  
  

These people are worth remembering. Show leadership and love in your circle and your community. Say their names. Honour their memory and their loss by helping make America a better place- a place where these tragedies no longer happen. Join together and say never again.

Leadership And Love Are Lacking

Normally, when the US experiences a crisis people look to the President for leadership, for direction, comfort, and hope. Unfortunately, that is not what President Trump has been offering so far.As usual, most of his statements have been on Twitter.

President Trump hasn’t offered to meet with representatives of minority communities, faith leaders, etc. like most Presidents would have. No, instead he threatens. He says if the Mayors and Governors don’t do a good enough job forcing the protesting and rioting to stop, he will send in the US Military.

When Minnesota Governor Tim Walz held a press conference today (5/30/2020) involving faith leaders and leaders from minority communities, the message was simply, “go home”. His approach has been to call out the National Guard and ask for support from the National Guard in neighbouring states as well as potentially the US military. His approach isn’t quite as bad as President Trump’s but it is still based in the use of government force.

There is a void of leadership and love at the highest levels. Vice-President Biden has made a few comments, but he has not stepped up as much as he could. If a candidate from a party outside the Republican-Democrat duopoly were to step up, show leadership, bring people together, and begin the healing process so desperately needed right now, it could make a huge impact. We need someone to show leadership, and remind us how to love.

Blind Eyes And Deaf Ears

To paraphrase a quote: Don’t focus on what I’m saying, focus on why I’m saying it. Vandalism, looting, and rioting are not what we would like to see. Ideally, we should be seeing non-violent, peaceful protest. Over the years, after the deaths of (generally) young black men, people have protested. Those protests have mostly been peaceful. They have been smaller. At times, they have been creative. Each time, the protests have mostly fallen on blind eyes and deaf ears.

Protests have been criticised. Protestors have been mocked. People claim the protests are wrong or offensive. The actions people have been using to communicate their struggles and pain have not been heeded. Over time, when people aren’t listened to, their methods of communication tend to get more and more forceful. This is human nature.

Dismissing people’s feelings and telling them they shouldn’t feel what they are feeling is not helpful. Everyone is entitled to their feelings. No one needs to have permission from someone else to feel their feelings.

To Find Healing, Leadership, And Love

To make progress in our society, to begin healing, to help African-Americans feel just as much a valued, integral part of American society as White Americans, will take work, understanding, and humility. People need to be willing to listen to each other. We must do our best to be sympathetic and understanding of other peoples experiences. Everyone will need to make sacrifices of some kind.

The status quo is failing. The status quo really is a myth. Either there is progress or regression. Sometimes the movement is so slow, or so balanced between progressing and regressing aspects that it appears there is a status quo. American society is regressing in many ways. The fabric of American society is wearing thin and arguably unravelling.

We must come together. Humility and compassion are necessary. Only through love and respect will we be able to heal the wounds our society has experienced. Join with each other. Reach out. Seek to listen and understand. Love and respect everyone. Together we can make America stronger than ever. We can heal wounds. We can help everyone feel valued, respected, appreciated, and loved.

Desperately, we need leadership on the national level. We need leaders on the local levels as well. We need concerned, loving individuals to reach out, to bridge divides, to welcome, to show appreciation, and to love.

What will you do to help heal our brothers and sisters?

What will you do to show people they are valued, respected, and loved?

We are a hurting people and nation in search of leadership and love. Will you help us in our quest?

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Garrett Leeds is the founder of the Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness Project

If you would like to support the Life, Liberty, And Pursuit Of Happiness Project, please consider contributing to LLPHP via GoFundMe