“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
No words were ever more true than now--it is our collective responsibility to speak out about the unnecessary death of George Floyd. Black lives do matter.
Protest is part of our country’s ethos. Dr. King led peaceful protests that helped change the course of our country. The anger, fear and frustration being expressed in the demonstration in Minneapolis may be sensational to some but to someone like myself it is heartbreaking as another individual was killed by what I see to be an immoral, unacceptable and illegal behavior.
The death of African-Americans and other people of color at the hands of police officers must stop. Too many lives have been lost since Rodney King was beaten in Los Angeles in 1991. Whereas loss of life garners the most media attention there are countless incidents of people of color being stopped driving, walking, going to the gym, birdwatching while black. That is not America in my eyes.
I stand with my constituents, my colleagues, my friends and my family. I stand as a white male who understands the privilege I have simply because of the color of my skin. I stand with those who want change and who will fight for it peacefully and with intention.
I stand to say Black Lives Matter and the killing of people of color because of the color of their skin across our country must stop.