6 Months In

2020 has been an interesting year thus far. Within 6 months, our world has been thrown upside down. Despite the challenges 2020 has presented us with, I find solace in knowing that our whole world is going through similar situations. We have all been forced to self-isolate and process this moment. In America, our country has been rocked. A reckoning has happened in the form of Americans addressing another major issue, systemic racism.

155 years ago, the formal end of chattel slavery happened but racism persisted here in America. Pseudo slavery is still alive and well in America and presents itself in many ways. Just 60 years ago, Black people were finally given a semblance of legal and legislative freedom. Before that, we were state-sanctioned second-class citizens. A history so vile doesn’t just go away, we see the remnants of slavery manifest itself and permeate other areas of our society. Mass incarceration is now the pseudo slavery of Black people. This resurgence of slavery also manifests itself in our school system through the school to prison pipeline.

In thinking about the egregious history of Black people in America, I wonder how did our world become so vile, so evil, so selfish? Then, I am reminded that America itself was built off of this notion…greed. As I process this moment in time, I think about my nephews, my sweet baby nephews who are just two months old. What kind of world have they been born into? How are they going to grow up in this world and what will they believe about themselves, others, and America?

Then I think of myself, I am filled with a variety of emotions but three that are at the forefront of my mind are: Tired, Infuriated, and Frustrated. As I sit and ponder the value of my existence as a young Black woman in America, I am at a standstill.  I began to wonder why Black women are so devalued. Even in the face of this movement, Breonna Taylors' name has been overlooked. A young black 19-year-old woman was murdered and yet we fail to hear her name repeatedly because the voices of Black women tend to get muffled and silenced in the face of injustices.

Through the pain and adversity, I am reminded of how loving and merciful our God is. God knows exactly what is going on in this world. He knows the pain we are experiencing and wants us to know that we are not alone. His loving hand is here to guide us through this time and help us process this. Even with all the pain our world, and particularly America is feeling, I find peace in knowing that God is in control.

I have begun to notice a shift in the atmosphere, people are becoming educated on this matter and are addressing racist people head-on. Black people are proving knowledge and sharing their experiences with Whites, particularly those who cannot relate to our experiences. Within educating and informing others, we must approach teaching others with a Christ-like mindset of grace and love. We must be gentle and humble in our approach to making our world a more equitable place. This task of dismantling racism is a long process, it surely won’t happen overnight but as we educate the masses, prayerfully we can see tangible changes.