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The last two weeks have been surreal. In the midst of a pandemic crisis, our consciousness has been broadsided suddenly by an anything but sudden reality: systemic racism. We've acknowledged its existence (at least many of us have), but we're only forced to think about it intermittently with the death of one black person at the hands of white law enforcement, and then another, and then...until the apparent tipping point: the murder of George Floyd. I've been in conversation the past couple of weeks with many others like myself--the white privileged--and it's clear change is needed. I've also been in conversation with a good friend who is African American, and these conversations matter. Developing relationships with people of different perspectives and listening to their stories is very important. I hope to continue this in the coming weeks. I've also been reading books that will help me better understand white privilege (White Like Me by Tim Wise) and history of black experience from a black theologian (Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman). There are also multiple lists online of resources that can educate me on both topics. I expect this will be an ongoing undertaking. I've also just written emails to my four county commissioners and my state representative encouraging them to demand justice in the killing of a black man in March 2019 at the hands of sheriff's deputies after a minor traffic violation and subsequent car chase. The video of his death was just released this week--no one was ever charged in the incident, although his death was ruled a homicide by the coroner's office. In light of recent events, this is one symptom of the systemic problem, and I think it will best be solved one county, one city, one state at a time. I've never considered myself an activist, because protests and demonstrations are not my style (introvert, remember), but I can and will express my concerns via other methods. We're always encouraged to think globally, but act locally. I think this is one way to do that. --Janice
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January 2022
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