All The Emotions

I’m saddened to be writing another non-finance blog. It was not that long ago I wrote about Ahmaud Arbery’s murder and now we have cities across the country burning after George Floyd’s. I’ve written two other “posts” for today that I have decided to keep to myself—they were much longer and shared my thoughts and feelings. They were therapeutic to write—to get some of the emotions out and not keep them bottled up, but I’m keeping them to myself not because I’m reluctant to share my thoughts. I am keeping them to myself because I realize at this moment they don’t matter–it’s not about me. Another blog post about what is happening does not change anything. It doesn’t make things better. It ends up just being more words and talk is cheap.

So instead of sharing my thoughts, I’m going to share some resources down below.

I’m also talking to the Roman and Leo (Silas one day too) about what is happening. We’ve discussed some of our country’s history when it comes to discrimination. We’ve discussed how some of their friends will have obstacles to overcome they cannot imagine and won’t understand until they are older. We’ve also discussed how it is their duty to stand up for their friends and others when they see them being treated improperly. We’ve discussed how some people have a hate inside of them that I cannot comprehend—I showed them the picture of the officer with his knee on George Floyd’s neck and the calm in his eyes; I don’t want to scare them, but I also don’t want to shelter them. We’ve discussed why so many people are hurt, upset, gathering, and protesting. We’ve also discussed how many of the people looting and causing destruction are not for the cause they pretend to be for, but to be opportunistic, and even worse, intentionally making things worse. We’ve discussed what leadership looks like. We’ve discussed what leadership does not look like. We’ve discussed a lot. We will continue to discuss a lot. And as my friend suggested to me, we will get proximate. It’s important that they not only HEAR why people are upset, they see and feel why.

I’m angry. I’m frustrated. I’m saddened. I’m scared.

But, I’m also hopeful.

I know the majority of what we’ve seen in the media over the last few days have been horrific, but there are good people out there doing good. There are Erika Shields and Renee’ Hall, the police chiefs in Atlanta and Dallas, who walked with and listened to protestors. There is the police officer in Atlanta calmly engaging with the crowd and explaining they would continue to be free to protest—he had their back. There are the citizens in Minneapolis who just showed up with brooms and helped clean up their town. There are the peaceful protestors protecting businesses and stopping looters from detracting from their cause. There is good out there. We might not see it as much as the destruction, but it is there. So I remain hopeful.

Here are some videos and an article I thought I’d share to continue to do my part. I’m not going to remain silent, but I’m also not just going to blog about how I feel.

Because again, talk is cheap.

Article and Videos

Credit to my friend Kory for sharing this with me: White Privilege–Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh

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