The question that many of us have been asking ourselves is “What can I do, in my own life, to help the nation fulfill its promise?”

Like so many, I am heartbroken and outraged by the recent killing of George Floyd in Minnesota while in the custody of police officers, the most recent example in a long history of racial injustices, attacks, and accusations – such as Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.

I am an immigrant woman of color, I often experience my “American Feeling” when I watch a patriotic parade on July 4th or see the Statute of Liberty – but right now, my American Feeling is one of despair. So much injustice, so much violence experienced by the black people of our country, for so long. The America ideal of “liberty and justice for all” is often violated.

When something is so huge, its often hard to find the right words – and I find myself reaching for and repeating the words from great leaders. In this case the words of John F. Kennedy that he gave on June 11, 1963 After the Alabama National Guard was required to enforce a court order requiring the desegregation of the University of Alabama seem appropriate:

“I hope that every American, regardless of where he lives, will stop and examine his conscious about this and other related incidents. This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded by the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.

Today we are committed to a worldwide struggle to promote and protect the rights of all who wish to be free. And when Americans are sent to Viet-Nam or West Berlin, we do not ask for whites only. It ought to be possible, therefore, for American students of any color to attend any public institution they select without having to be backed up by troops..…

The heart of the question is whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities, whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated. If an American, because his skin is dark…cannot enjoy the full and free life which all of us want, then who among us would be content…[to] stand in his place? Who among us would then be content with the counsels of patience and delay?…Now the time has come for this Nation to fulfill its promise.”

Kennedy’s speech was given almost sixty years ago, yet it remains so apt today. Like many of you, I am stopping and examining my conscience about this and other related incidents.

In reflecting on this moment and this speech, I’m asking myself, what can I do in my own life to help this nation to fulfill its promise?

 
 
Televised Address to the Nation on Civil Rights | JFK Library
www.jfklibrary.org
 

An American Uprising…The Feeling of Hope!

Never in American history have we seen the confluence of three massive events: a pandemic, unprecedented unemployment and economic crisis, and one of the largest displays of civil unrest in our nation’s history. All in the same two weeks! If you’re feeling on edge, having trouble sleeping, and/or kind of blue, it’s with good reason.

We don’t have a road map for these times. But we do have resources and skills: wisdom, mindfulness, presence, love, and our ability to choose in each and every moment who and how we want to be.

​​​​​​​Like you, I have watched with horror as the city streets in America have been filled with military presence, police using batons on our citizens, many of whom are peacefully protesting, tear gas and flash bombs erupting in our streets. Like you, I grieve the loss of lives, the brutality, the division and separation that severs a deep divide across our nation.

Yet, I also see something else emerging. I see a nation rising in a unified voice calling for Oneness, Unity, Peace, Justice, and Equality. We are no longer waiting for “the leadership” to provide the moral compass for our country. We, the people, are rising up to stand for one another. We are taking a stand for the truth that we are all one.

Not one nation – but one vibration, one energy, one heartbeat of humanity.

We are waking up to the truth that harm cannot fall to a segment without harming the whole. The healing of our country, the healing of the hundreds of years of oppression and abuse heaped upon minority communities will end when we all rise up and stand for love.

 

It seems like a small gesture to donate money, but donating is something concrete we can do to support vital work that’s going on.

If you decide to give money, here are some links to reputable organizations

  • The Bail Project  – bailproject.org – a non-profit organization designed to combat mass incarceration by disrupting the money bail system—one person at a time
  • NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund – www.naacpldf.org–  – America’s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice. Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, LDF seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans.
  • Osborne Association – www.osborneny.org– working for systemic reforms while we provide opportunities for people to reunite with their families, continue their education, connect to meaningful employment, and rebuild their lives after incarceration
  •  Black Lives Matter – https://blacklivesmatter.com/ – Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.