Crusaders Who Don't Need Another Commission-Real Change!

I've said something as a compliment, and it's come out wrong. I've given advice without asking whether the person wanted to hear my opinion. I've used the wrong pronouns and upset my own kids. We all make mistakes, but that doesn't make us bad people if we are willing to learn and change.

I woke up this morning thinking about my Leadership Greater Washington (LGW) classmate and friend, Michael Amilcar—specifically her face on yesterday’s Frontline Zoom conversation. Zoom may be the bane of many these past three months, but seeing someone's face when you hear their words is always more powerful. Doug Duncan, the former Montgomery County Executive and President of LGW, interviewed her, and the first question he asks all his guests is, "How are you?"

Michael is the CEO of CookRoss, whose mission is to “co-create solutions that help companies advance Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Accessibility within their organizations”. She normally has this warm, almost beatific smile on her face, but that smile wasn't present yesterday morning. Sad and tired, she responded, "I'm not OK".

Today, like many mornings (at least since the March "Shelter at Home" rules), I read The New Yorker and looked at my New York Times briefs and the Washington Post before listening to NPR. If my husband isn't working, we sprinkle in some Morning Joe. Yup, pretty liberal, except my husband was a Republican until the Tea Party took over and he was brave (or desperate) enough to vote for Hillary in 2016. We were pretty darn cozy during the past three months. As hard workers, we had saved and sheltered comfortably with our blended family of somewhat disgruntled college and high schoolers. Yes, COVID messed with our lives, but we have tailwinds, unlike others who face strong headwinds. I've said out loud that I feel guilty because we aren’t suffering. I watch in horror as the number of deaths in the US alone passes 115K and unemployment is in the millions. These tragedies disproportionately strike communities of color.

But what does my white, middle class, somewhat disrupted from COVID19, life have to do with my black friend Michael's pain? White racism has created a system of suppression for over 400 years. That's the truth. Michael shared the story of her brother who was 11 months different in age from her. She grew up in Chicago, just 40 minutes north of where my husband was born in northwest Indiana. I thought I knew her city, but I didn't. One day her brother was playing basketball with friends, and a gun went off nearby. The bullet ricocheted and, even though he and his friends didn't have a gun, those boys went to jail for 20 plus years. They trusted the system and it failed them because of the color of their skin.

During the past several weeks, other black friends have shared stories that were also filled with pain. Immigrants who came for a better life (legally or illegally), found the land of milk and honey filled with hatred, fear, and pain. I kinda knew about these things, but as Michael pointed out, they aren't teaching the entire history to kids… just the white version. I didn't feel these things until the pandemic ripped the blinders off my eyes; it's also awakened all of my fellow protesters across our country, in every state, and around the world.

What I wonder about now is whether this movement, with all its fire and momentum, will be able to keep the foot on the gas and institute real and lasting change?

This article in The New Yorker is what stopped me dead this morning. It describes what Michael L. Amilcar and Ida B. Wells have in common; they are both crusaders for gender, race, and humanity. Both are definitely women of action. The history of protests and riots is outlined in the article. The stories of mobs doing violence to black people are gruesome and heart-wrenching. I've been to the African American Museum (which Michael shared should just be called "The American Museum”) because it's part of all our histories. Our white and black lives are intermingled. Ida fought sexism, racism, and violence. She was there when the NAACP was founded, but she wasn’t credited with being a founder; likely because she was a woman. Her report, “Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases,” appeared in 1892 and turned the paradigm on its head by stating that white violence against black people occurred more frequently than black "riots" and damage to white people.

Michael, during that Frontline conversation said her heart hurt as she read about two lynchings in California. My mind paused, trying to comprehend what I thought I heard. After the hour-long Frontline conversation, I Googled it. Sure enough, two black men were found some 50 miles apart hung from trees in California. WTF?! This is happening in 2020? Police report both deaths as suicide, but the families say no. According to Ida B. Wells, the history of violence toward black people dates back to the forced migration as slaves and has continued on and on and on through history. While these facts are supported by government commissions from the 1700s onward (including Otto Kerner's report in the 1960s), these government studies have never resulted in any significant change.

So, what will we do to change this horrific paradigm? The MeToo movement forced the reality of women suffering sexual assault to the surface. Can Black Lives Matter be the force that joins all people together to find a more equitable life across all areas (health, education, safety, food, housing) and the economic access that is known to reduce violence? Chris Patterson, Senior Director of Programs & Policy at the Institute for Nonviolence in Chicago, has been working towards this kind of world since his own release from prison 10 years ago. When he spoke to our LGW group this past February, he discussed the community and partnership roles in de-escalating violence, and the need for jobs. I hear "Defund the Police” as a battle call; I was told that Camden, NJ might provide a case study. However, the solution is most likely not that simple. This Rolling Stone article by Matt Taibi paints a more complex picture.

We need systemic change—a major overhaul. All systems are broken here in the US of A. In three months of chaos, we have managed to make significant strides: progress in the development of a coronavirus vaccine; coming together to help each other with homemade masks; clothing makers mass producing masks; distilleries switching from alcohol to hand sanitizer; neighbors collecting food to redistribute it to those in need. All without a national leader or policy. Michael said we each have a role to play, we must all do what we can and recognize… that is OK.

Some people will protest. Others will donate to The Bail Project, which helps those accused of crimes to make bail so they can keep their jobs and take care of their families while waiting to be exonerated.

For years, the Southern Poverty Law Center has been fighting racial and social injustice in several ways. One of their major efforts is voting. To me, this is the key to it all! EVERYONE can vote (since 1965). It says so in that dusty old document called the Constitution. Those in power want to keep power, but to make change they must be pushed out. Voter registration, voter access, voter turnout… these are key to lasting change. Those in power have codified institutional racism, and they are breaking our country into pieces. Let's stop it here. Pick something that you are capable of doing and do it, everything matters.