George Floyd and Staying Safe

Stay safe.

I’ve found myself saying those words more often than usual over the past several weeks to practically all of my family, friends and professional colleagues. That’s because of the relentless COVID-19 pandemic that has already taken over 100,000 innocent American lives, ravaged the globe in short order and still offers no discernable end in sight.

Yet, this weekend’s news cycle has been a sobering reminder of another pandemic that has no discernable end in sight either.

And it’s also one that’s taken innocent lives…in the millions for centuries.

It’s one sowed in a brand of ignorance, fear, apathy and racial prejudice that, despite the principles upon which this nation was founded, have been deeply woven into the fabric of this country since its inception.

The protests that have captured our collective attention this weekend were catalyzed by the unflinching and heinous public murder of George Floyd by those sworn to protect and serve. However, the seeds of these protests were being planted for a long time.

The truth is that when I witness with my bare eyes what happens to a George Floyd, I am reminded.

I am reminded that I have seen these types of senseless events play out…time and time and time again since my childhood.

I am reminded why “stay safe” are actually words that I have used for a long time before the pandemic, but almost exclusively when parting ways with my family members and friends who are Black.

I am reminded that a George Floyd, an Ahmaud Arbery or a Christian Cooper (as well as a Trayvon Martin, an Eric Gardner, a Walter Scott, a Philando Castile or countless others) could have easily been a childhood friend, brother, nephew, cousin or uncle of mine.

And I am reminded that any of them could have certainly have been me.

That’s because, as a Black man in America, despite whatever level of education I attain, whatever job or post I earn and however eloquently I speak, to a larger part of this nation than many are willing to admit, if I’m in the wrong place at the wrong time, I am perceived as a threat. And my life is valued as lesser than.

If you are Black and are reading this, I know you understand this.

If you are not Black and are reading this, I suspect that the recent events are deeply frustrating to some of you and compelling you to do something to bring about positive change because you truly empathize with the call for long-needed justice and equality. If this is you, please talk to your friends, family and colleagues who may not understand but look like you and help them understand why this is happening and why change is needed.

I suspect that for others of you who are not Black, due to the violence and rioting that has erupted around many of these protests, this weekend’s events may cause genuine confusion and distress and may even seem self-defeating. If this is you, I ask you to not lose the signal amid the noise. And don’t conflate the non-violent call for justice with the acts of those who have ulterior motives and are merely being opportunistic or who are so marginalized that they feel there is no hope because greater society has taught them as much.

And I suspect that for others of you, you may think these protests are the products of overblown outlier incidents not representative of the greater post-racial America we supposedly live in. Or you may just blow this off as another news cycle the realities around which do not and likely will never affect you. If this is you, I ask you to pause and try to understand why, even though you may not feel you are part of the problem in the least, you actually are.

And what is the problem exactly?

It’s one of structural inequity, institutional bias and uncompromising racism that has lasted for centuries in America. It’s one that is, at times obvious, but more often deeply layered, systemic and nuanced. Yet, it’s always stark in its continual outcomes. And it’s one that, despite the best intentions and efforts of people from all backgrounds, remains and lays bare the realities of a society that continues to prejudge people by nothing other than the color of their skin.

It’s a problem that can only be grappled with by having open and unsettling discussions with others who are different from you, by dealing with uncomfortable truths and by holding institutions of government, economic opportunity, law enforcement and justice, as well as others and yourself, accountable.

I don’t typically write and share thoughts dealing with socio-economic or racial problems in professional settings…at all. It typically exposes too many uncomfortable landmines. It creates the potential for too much misunderstanding or unspoken divisions. And it, unfortunately, may create too much risk for me and my professional livelihood as it relates to how I am perceived by some.

But this weekend, as tears welled up in my eyes after watching the taking of George Floyd’s life under the knee of a police officer for the 16th time on CNN, I was coldly reminded of what it means to be Black in America.

And I felt the need to help remind others of what it means as well.

Please learn more.

Please do more.

And please be part of the change that makes the kind of acts perpetrated against the George Floyds, Ahmaud Arberys and Christian Coopers of America eventually reprehensible to all, as they are to some.

Until then, stay safe.