To those who lost their lives we offer our hymns, prayers, and sincere condolences. To those who survived, we pray their comfort by the Savior in wrapping their heads around being left behind? To those who live in counties and cities all across the nation: I have a literal question. How many more of these types of incidents whether racial, gun violence related, or acts of terrorism? How many more violent acts will we observe on CNN, MSNBC, or in our neighborhoods before we speak up, act up, and live up to the charge of protecting our communities? How many more times will Rev. Al, Dr. Dyson, and Dr. West spar over best ways to address these issues? How many more cogent, thoughtful obituaries will we hear from US leaders speaking from hallowed pulpits before we see change? I’m still waiting for the world to change.
Enough is enough. We need to pray, march, legislate, educate, and act in a way that will say we will take no more of this. We must devise actionable plans that will show our commitment to ending racial crimes and unnecessary gun violence while finding ways to monitor and treat the mental health challenges that insight the total disregard for human life observed in recent years.
Every sun-kissed person and every ally should be encouraged to act, and not just during moments of tragedy, but consistently until we put in place structures and systems that increase safety and peace for all community members.
We need to turn our, ‘I will,’ sentiment into an, ‘I am,’ sentiment. Let’s act in a way that will help us to move forward toward a modern society that takes out its aggression in a peaceful manner, and resolves never to shoot first and then ask questions later.
By: Melanie Avery