This week the NAACP found it necessary to issue a travel advisory to black and minority travelers to Florida. It was a simple one. “Don’t go.”
We’ve come to this. The division we have allowed has grown to be so violent and unpredictable that safety is no longer a given.
School children know this. Ask them about how they are trained to take cover. Ask them what it feels like to live in a state of underlying fears.
Blacks know this, as do Native Americans, Latinos, Asians and LGBTQ+. Sure there are the occasional movie stars, politicians, athletes and others who’ve climbed the ladder, but ask them about the fear and rage they’ve stifled. Ask them what systemic hatred feels like.
More than 80% of American Jews feel anti-Jewish sentiment is a growing concern.
We’ve come to this. We don’t want to teach the Holocaust, the violence of slavery or the repression of the Reconstruction Era. The claim is that it is just too much for young white minds to handle. We’d rather teach them about the kingdom of heaven and how to get a ticket to the pearly gates.
The classic gay flag now has a triangle that represents transgender. We fly it at the farm to let people know they are safe and respected here. In a world so ready to cast away, it’s important to draw people near.
I long for a time when kindness and respect are celebrated and love will rule. This will not happen without our effort and our choices. We can do this.We have this one chance, while we are alive, to get it right. Let it be so.