Police Brutality

Kendall and her friends are at a rally that was held today to witness the stories of victims of police brutality or the family members left to mourn. They are listening to the young man in the extra describe the callous degradation and mistreatment he received at the hands of the police as a youngster in school. He reminded me of my nephew, a young man about his age and with a similar demeanor, who has white skin and privilege. The young speaker at the rally ended by saying, “I wish all black kids could be treated with respect. I wish all kids could be treated the same.” The institution of slavery, the history of police brutality and the story of economics of this country are interconnected.  Until each of us works to learn about and understand the systemic nature and history of racism in American we will not be free. Our liberation will come in understanding this fully as a people, as a country, as a nation. Stamped From the Beginning, The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi, a brilliant historian and scholar, is helping me to tear the veil of racism from my own eyes.