Social Justice – Looking on the Bright Side

I’ve been grappling with whether to write a blog post addressing the racial turmoil that has come to a head in our nation over the past week. I haven’t written a new post on my blog in about a month. But do I really have anything unique to say? I sit from a point of white privilege, and my thoughts are not particularly special or helpful. I try to be an ally, but do I mess up? Daily! Do I do enough to help social justice be served in my community? Not at all. But I do try. And I place value on the trying.

I encourage everyone to make the effort to “know better.” The voices of people of color are there telling us how to make this better. But we have to take the time and effort to listen. Each of us can learn new things every single day as we strive to be the best possible version of ourselves.

So take a moment to stop talking. And listen.

Another day in America, another mass shooting, or in this case two. Violence happens so much now that is easy to find ourselves feeling immune to the heartbreak.

We must elect lawmakers who will pass legislation to help keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. This is a crisis and something needs to be done. We need representatives, senators, and a President who will stand up to the gun lobby and do what is right and necessary.

You can see where your current elected officials stand in this file available on https://giffords.org/act/town-hall-toolkit/

Earlier this year, the House of Representatives passed a bill to require background checks for gun sales. It has not gone to vote for the Senate. Call your senators or go to http://www.genprogress.org and click take action to send an email. Background checks save lives.

Also, please spread love not hate. It is easy for people to look at perpetrators of crimes like these, and vilify them and say that is not me. But if you spread hate in small ways, then you are helping to sow the seeds for extremists whose hate takes a different form. Remember that we are all God’s children and every person on this Earth has value. If we could all just believe that, oh how the world would be changed.