Yesterday a friend contacted me asking for my opinion about a discussion she was having with another friend of hers. It centered around whether or not George Floyd deserved to be the "face" of "Black Lives Matter" due to circumstances surrounding his past criminal activity, the fact that he was found to be using drugs, and other character "flaws". My immediate reaction was this:

"I think George Floyd is the face of the straw that broke the camel's back. He is one in a long line of black people killed unjustly - whether it be the police, white supremacists, or any other extremist. His murder shined the light on systemic issues about the way black people have been treated unfairly for centuries. We might as well say Derek Chauvin is the face of police brutality and oppression but he wasn't the first, and what the current protesters are showing us, he isn't going to be the last.

There are so many ways to look at systemic problems in the black community but we cannot let this be an excuse or a crutch to allow things to remain the same. I don't think they can remain the same. And we cannot allow the attitude of law enforcement (or those who feel it is justified to use force no matter what) remain the same. I think this is a huge turning point for society and I certainly hope we, as a society, are able to rationally and sanely rise to the occasion."

I am not a person of color and have not had the experiences that would even give me the right to speak for people of color, but I am not trying to speak on behalf of anybody but myself. I am a person whose overriding reason for being is to live in God's Loving and Light - and this divisiveness is not lending itself to that end.

It saddens me to see posts on social media passing judgment on others for their choice of words about the phrasing of their beliefs. It saddens me to see people I know, care about, and respect perpetuating divisiveness. I agree that things cannot continue status quo and we, as a society, must work toward a solution. But, I do not think this will happen unless we learn to work toward unity - and that, in my opinion, will not be possible until we can look beyond the things that separate us make a concerted effort to move toward the oneness we are created to dwell within.

My plea for all, no matter what your background and color, is to meditate on whether or not this is something that would be acceptable to God (in whatever form you worship a higher power). Thank you for considering this!

Namaste.