By Annette Pinder
The effects of last month’s shooting will continue to reverberate, affect, and challenge all of us for months and years to come. What happened right in our own beloved city has shaken us all to the core, interrupted our sense of order and safety, and awakened us to the reality that the horrendous incidents we have seen take place in other parts of the country, can also happen right here.
Now, as members of our Black community wonder if they will ever feel safe again, or be able to leave home knowing they will return safely to see their families at the end of the day, they also wonder who else in our community might wish them harm. Understandably, it is difficult for those so directly targeted to believe that individuals in our community who were not targeted are also deeply affected. I can assure you that we are.
The truth is that the hatred that caused one demented White person to kill Black people with the intention of replacing them with what he believes to be a superior race is a sickness that affects us all, and that none of us can escape. Like a malignant cancer that spreads, hatred at its core, eats away at the health of all of us.
So, I want to tell my Black brothers and sisters that yes, even those of us who are not directly affected this time, truly do care. I want to tell them that the replacement theory that this killer espoused is the same one that killed six million Jewish people, and countless others during the holocaust simply because of their ethnicity, religion, political beliefs, or sexual orientation. I want to tell them that embracing replacement theory, espoused by many news commentators and politicians, means that any one of us could be next, and that we should all be scared, regardless of the color of our skin.
On some level, and some much more directly than others, we are all grieving right now. I am told that there are five stages to grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I am told that these stages don’t necessarily happen in order, but ebb and flow. And I am told that, although many of those affected may feel like nothing will ever be right again, that they will eventually heal and readjust to a new permanent reality.
While I certainly hope that we can eventually heal, I sincerely hope that, in many ways, we do not accept what has happened here and in so many other places in our nation. Instead, I hope that this senseless tragedy inspires us to look at one another in ways we never have before, to truly see and better understand one another, to commit to working together toward collective goals and values of love, family, dignity, acceptance, inclusion, and respect for the health of all of us. I hope that this heinous act and notion of a superior race inspires us to engage in honest and authentic conversations, and I hope that we can want the same things for those who are oppressed as we want for ourselves.
Finally, I hope that we can come to see that words matter. When we entertain notions of superiority in race and ethnicity, we are playing with a fire that can cause irreparable harm. When we allow our leaders to entertain the idea of a superior race, we are opening the door for diseased thinking. When, instead, we choose to honor our humanity, everyone wins.
I am proud of the efforts we have made over the past few years during which we have engaged in meaningful conversations about diversity and inclusion in the workplace. I am inspired to see our community health centers caring for people of color, and those who are underserved and at risk. I am proud of our efforts in welcoming refugees in 65 different languages, and grateful for so many wonderful grassroots community initiatives. But what’s next?
I think it is time to work toward getting things done, to have honest communication to bridge misunderstandings, to educate one another in how we can make a difference, and to ensure that the officials we elect to represent us are held to the promises they make to us. I think it is time to work together to rejoice in the interconnected woven tapestry we create together when we value the diverse people we are.
