I’ve been hesitant to write about this for fear that I’ll say the wrong thing and accidentally disrespect a people who have been disrespected for far too long. I WAS WRONG to hesitate.
I didn’t know him personally but George Floyd could have easily been my cousin, my friend, my former coworker, that person who I mostly know via social media but I swear if we spent any time together in real life, we’d be best friends. He could have been the ADHD advocate I follow on Twitter or the pastor who’s sermons I watch on YouTube. He was someone’s brother, someone’s son. His life mattered to many but not to the police. There are so many black lives that matter to me personally and it makes me sick to my stomach that someone might see them as less than. That someone might view their lives as expendable. That they could be begging for the right to breathe because of the color of their skin.
I can’t pretend to understand the traumas that People of Color have had to endure strictly due to their skin tone and there’s nothing I can say/do to make it right but I know that saying nothing and doing nothing is wrong. Sitting idly by as People of Color have to fight for their lives to matter is WRONG.
In regards to the protests, I stand by you. In regards to the riots, I recognize your desperation and that desperate times produce desperate measures. I saw you when you took a knee to protest peacefully and I watched as you were dismissed like many times before. This was not your first resort. This was the last straw.
You have my deepest apologies for what people who look like me have done to you. And in waiting to write this, I have been complicit.
I’M SO VERY SORRY. YOU DESERVE BETTER.
Dear People of Color - Your lives matter to me. Your stories matter to me. I want to hear your voices. I want to know you. I’d love to share what you have to say. Please drop links to your blogs, your businesses, your music, your art, your videos, your books, your opinions, your articles in the comments.
And if I’ve said something offensive, please let me know. I'm a work in progress. I have the utmost respect for you and I want my words to convey that.
Jessica Davis
WellTree Mama
