This country, our country, allowed, promoted, and profited from the enslavement of 16 million African men, women, and children. We must finally face up to this gross torture and genocide, make amends, somehow pay reparations, bow in supplication beating our chests in remorse–whatever needs to be done to end the systemic racism that has stalked us like a dark continuous shadow, screaming out for even a ray of light to heal the latent pain and suffering that is present in each and every one of us–black, white, brown, red, yellow, Moslem, Jew, Christian, theist, atheist, homed, homeless, immigrant, able bodied, disabled, documented, undocumented, rich, poor, middle class, working class, unemployed, underemployed, ceo’s, line workers, gig workers, full time, part time, artists, writers, musicians, singers, sculptors, potters, doctors, lawyers, candlestick makers.
You get the idea. We are all victims. We are all responsible. We are all part of the human family. And as with any and every family, we must consider our history, our legacy, our responsibilities. We must care for one another. And we must honor those who came before us. All of them, from our first African mother and all, all who followed her to this present day. How can we, how should we, how must we do this?
That is for each of us to ponder, to consider, to reach deep inside and touch our very humanity. That will take courage, wisdom, compassion, understanding. But isn’t that what distinguishes us Homo sapiens from other species. Whether Democrat, Green , Republican, liberal, conservative, independent, non political , we are all Homo sapiens—wise people with wonderful brains that can solve serious problems, that can help heal the environment, that can help others less fortunate than ourselves, including our fellow animal and plant inhabitants of this wonderful planet Earth.
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