We Need to Breathe

Hello to readers from Japan, Czechia, Italy and Germany. I am happy to see someone reading the blog from a new country. I am always thrilled to welcome back previous readers from places like Ukraine, Mexico, UAE, Vietnam, UK, India and my Bajan connections. 👋

As I write this, I am watching the demonstrations across America due to the recent death of unarmed African-American, George Floyd, after a white police officer kneeled on his neck during his arrest. He was pronounced dead thereafter. It was recorded and shown on social media sparking outrage everywhere. I have a nephew and my niece has two sons. Two of my undergrad college friends now live in America. One has two young sons. The other has a teenage boy who thankfully will leave for university in Canada in the fall. In 2010 I refused to renew my US VISA as I did not think it was safe to be a person of colour in that country - and Barak Obama was President at the time but I noticed there was growing racist rhetoric from certain segments in the country during his presidency. Since then we had the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Laquon MacDonald, Walter Scott,  Castile Philando and earlier this year the jogger, Ahmaud Arbery and the emergency medical technician, Breonna Taylor. These were the high profile deaths of unarmed persons. Others were armed and killed during their arrest so that's another matter.

This was not my intended topic for today so I will post two entries to make up for the lack of an entry in May!

It amazes me that 50-plus years after the civil unrest of the 1960s, not much has changed in America. I will not comment on the political rhetoric that encourages extreme right wing xenophobia and outright racism. 

African-American parents have "the talk" with their children (both boys and girls) to try not to provoke attention from police officers, to be careful where they go, what they wear, how they respond to a police questioning them.

                         Black Parents Explain How to Talk to the Police | Cut [Source: Cut]

Still, every time something like this happens I get angry and the Floyd videos are just so blatant. I have to be concerned because I have black relatives in America. The extent of the protests is telling. I ask that we uphold both America's young people and its law enforcement in prayer. 

This is a favourite song of mine and is so fitting for the times. George Floyd's blood is red. So is that of the four officers. We all bleed the same and we all need to breathe.

     Mandisa - We All Bleed the Same ft. Toby Mac, Kirk Franklin [Source: MadisaOfficial]

Enough is enough.