Taking a Stand

Today I am afraid. I am afraid because the country whose ideals and standards I have always loved and cherished has disappointed me. I fear that the “land of the free and the home of the brave” is becoming the land of the distrusted and home of the hated.People with brown skin are afraid of having any encounters with law enforcement, police officers are afraid to be out on the streets doing their jobs, people of the Muslim faith are afraid to wear traditional clothing and be seen as terrorists, Christians are afraid to speak conservative views and be labeled as uneducated or bigoted, the LBGT community is afraid of being targeted and harassed. We are all afraid of someone or something. We are all living in fear. Fear and distrust are the very fuel of prejudice and hatred. It becomes a vicious cycle. Will the new level of fear black men are now burdened with make them appear more “suspicious” or “guilty” at the next encounter with a police officer? Will a police officer be more ready at hand with a gun to protect themselves now that they carry a heavy fear of being targeted? Where will the cycle end? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the greatest men who has ever lived, refused to allow anyone live a life of fear. He fought for the truth: Every life matters. His weapon of choice was words, his ammunition: truth and love. This country was changed for the better because he stood to conquer ignorance, fear, and hatred, with a dream, faith, love, and unfailing determination. I wish he was here. I wish I could hear what he would say today, but he is gone, and now it is our turn to stand, and our turn to speak. If we want to have a land that is truly free, then we must be willing to be brave. True bravery is not wielding a gun. Courage is smiling when our first instinct is fear. It is daring to challenge our own thoughts and look at things from another perspective. It is stepping out of our comfort zones. It is taking a stand and refusing to be a bystander. Most of all, it is love. Hate is the epitome of cowardice. Love takes guts. To love means to open yourself up, to be vulnerable, to take risks. It means we reach out and we reach across, instead of shading our eyes or shying away. Today I am hopeful. I believe in America. I believe that most people are good. I believe that black, white, Muslim, Christian, LGBT, police officer, or anything and everything in between are children of God, are worthy and deserving of respect, and just want to be seen, understood, and safe (physically, emotionally and otherwise) to be who they are no matter where they are. This is our country. We owe each other this. We owe our children this. The media is feeding off our fears and stoking the fires of intolerance in order to feed off the sensationalism these stories create. Today I saw people speak out. I saw messages of tolerance, of compassion, and a desire for change. I will join the fight. I will combat fear with stories of decency, kindness, and tolerance. I have let my voice fade because life can be overwhelming and priorities and balance are often an issue, but mostly I started to believe my voice didn’t make much of a difference…I realized today that if everyone believed that way, no progress would ever be made. I will step up. I pledge to do my part. I will not stand silently by and watch this land that I love fall apart around me. Thank you to all of you good, decent, beautiful people out there. Thank you for reminding me that hope is not lost. I believe in America because I believe in all of you.