I don't even know what to say to you

I don't even know what to say to Black people.  I can say I'm sorry and I'm so ashamed of what happened.  But those words are so inadequate and seem quite meaningless when these murders keep happening.

I do know what to say to my fellow White people.  We own this.  We created this and we must stop this.  I can already hear the chorus of voices rising up and saying "not all White people" to which I say "not enough White people."  Not enough White people are outraged enough to speak out.  Not enough White people are saying these murders must end.

George Floyd, Breonna Tayler, Ahmed Aubrey and too many others have been killed.  We White people must do something.  No, we cannot always change the hearts and minds of those whose hatred is based on the color of a person's skin.  Racism has been a part of our country since the first colonists arrived.  But what we can do is say loudly and clearly that we do not and will not tolerate racist behavior.  We can demand that people are held accountable for what they do.  We can demand that our local, state and federal attorneys prosecute these crimes.  We can be allies.  We can say enough and finally mean enough and not rest until something is done.  But my fellow White people, that will never happen and change will not come until enough of us make it happen.  So don't say '"not all White people." Let's join together so there will be enough White people.

Memorial Day 2020

Today is Monday, May 25, 2020.  Today is also Memorial Day.  A day set aside to honor and remember the men and women of the Armed Forces who, as President Abraham Lincoln so eloquently said on November 19, 1863 in Gettysburg Pennsylvania, "gave the last full measure of devotion."  In years past, there have been parades.  I remember attending parades as a child then going to the cemetery.  The graves of the fallen members of the Armed Forces were in the front.  The tombstones were small and white.  Each grave had an American Flag on the side of the tombstone. Flags were flown at half-staff until noon and then raised to full staff.  The men and women of the Armed forces who are honored on Memorial Day lost their lives serving their country.  Some died in combat.  Some died as a result of suicide bombers, landmines, surprise attacks.  Some died after they completed their duty and were unable to cope with horrors they saw during their military service.  Some died from the indifference of a country that should have been grateful for their service, but wasn't and neglected them.  Whether their lives were lost during or after their service, they are all deserving of our gratitude, respect and honor.  For the families they left behind, this day must be difficult and they, too, deserve our gratitude, respect and honor.

This year is different.  This year the United States, like so many countries, is dealing with COVID-19, more commonly known as Coronavirus.  The flags have flown at half-staff through Memorial Day weekend per order of the President of the United States.  There were no parades.  This year, unlike past years, the flags flying at half-staff not only honor the fallen men and women of the Armed Forces, they also honor the lives lost to Coronavirus.  As of today, nearly 98,000 lives have been lost.  Among the lives lost as a result of this pandemic, are the essential workers.  The doctors, nurses, and other hospital employees, the police officers firefighters and paramedics, the grocery store workers and all other workers who did their jobs despite the risk they faced.  Like the brave men and women of the armed forces, they, too, "gave the last full measure of devotion."  They are all deserving of our gratitude, respect and honor.  For the families they left behind, this day must be difficult, especially since it comes so soon after the losses as well as while the losses are still happening and they, too, deserve our gratitude, respect and honor.

On November 21, 1864, a little over a year after delivering his speech at Gettysburg, President Lincoln wrote a letter to Mrs. Bixby.  He had been told she had lost five sons.  Although she not lost five sons, perhaps those who have lost loved ones as a result of military service or essential workers as a result of coronavirus can find some bit of solace in these words from President Lincoln.  "I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save."  At Gettysburg, President Lincoln called on the citizens of the United States to "take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion" and to "highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain."  Are we not called to do the same?

And then I wept.

I have been recording episodes of Designing Women since they began airing on Antenna TV.  I recently watched a two-part episode entiled "The First Day of the Last Decade of the Twentieth-Century" and parts one and two both originally aired January 1, 1990.  Part one ended with Julia, Suzanne, Mary Jo, Anthony, Bernice and Anthony's girlfriend Vanessa counting down and then celebrating the New Year in the hospital waiting for Charlene to give birth.
During Part two, Julia introduced Suzanne, Mary Jo, Anthony, Bernice and Anthony's girlfriend Vanessa to Miss Minnie Bell Ward, an African-American woman who was 103 years old, having been born in 1887.  The following is what Miss Minnie said:
"Oh, I'm just a thread, a little thread in the tapestry, but I had a good time. Everybody has troubles, and as the saying goes: ain't nobody nowhere living no dream life. I thought as I got older, the bold outlines of truth would be revealed to me, but it hasn't happened. When I was young, I was in such a hurry, and now I've been here a hundred years. And, it seems like only yesterday I held my babies in my arms. I'm glad to be going home, its been a long time since I've seen my family. And I wish for all of you all the love and happiness I had in my life. And I hope the world keeps going toward freedom. And I hope that people everywhere can learn to live together in peace. As my papa used to say, 'We ain't what we should be, we ain't what we gonna be, but at least we ain't what we was.'"
After she finished speaking, Miss Minnie rested her head on the pillow, closed her eyes and passed away and I wept.  The tears had been falling from my eyes as Miss Minnie spoke, but after her passing I wept.
I did not weep for Miss Minnie.  I wept for my country.  I wept because on January 1, 1990, Miss Minnie spoke about her "hope the world keeps going toward freedom" and her "hope that people everywhere can learn to live together in peace."  I wept because her "papa used to say 'we ain't what we should be, we ain't what we're gonna be, but at least we ain't what we was.'"  I wept because since 2015 our country has taken so many steps backward that "we are what we was" and "what we was" is not something of which we should be proud.