This blog is dedicated to all people that have lost their lives due to unnecessary violence.
We cannot reverse the past or the recent tragedies that have plagued our country and the world. We cannot reverse the suffering, fear, outrage, grief, or trauma that have magnified racial, social, and religious divides. We cannot breathe life into the countless innocent minority victims that die at the hands of police daily. We cannot breathe life into the innocent police officers that pledged their beings to service and died trying to uphold the law. We cannot breathe life into all the innocent that died in Nice on Bastille Day or any other victim of ISIS’ terror. What we can do is learn from these tragedies, acknowledge what is wrong, make an effort to remedy our mistakes, and hope that our efforts create better tomorrows. We must hope and believe that change is possible. We must work towards change that erases divisions, replaces hate with love, and establishes a socially just and balanced society in America and abroad. Like others, these recent deaths have saddened me deeply. In order to prevent future unnecessary violence, including police brutality and its retaliation, we must acknowledge racism as the root cause. Each day innocent African Americans and other minority members are murdered by police officers. Each day police officers are murdered by people of all colors. However, nothing is done to stop these killings. Mainstream America prefers to identify as a “post racial society” than admit our country maintains racist social practices. My heart truly goes out to the families of the officers that died recently as a reactive result of police brutality. I, however, believe that their deaths distracted from the real issue- that each day innocent minority members die at the hands of police. On July 7, when two innocent African American men died the same day and made national news, we all collectively as a group started to acknowledge that minorities are being wrongfully targeted by police officers. Shortly thereafter, we forgot the real issue when retaliation resulted in the deaths of innocent police officers. I want us all to remember that innocent minority members die at the hands of the police each day. My heart goes out to the families that have lost loved one because of police brutality. I know outrage exists on both sides between those that acknowledge police brutality as a reality and those that support the police and or white supremacy. We are a nation divided. My question now is how do we eliminate this divide to ensure no more innocent minority members or police officers die? My answer is to truly eradicate racism. That is not to say that we make everyone the same, but instead that we love each other despite differences in skin color, religion, or political beliefs. I believe the training of police officers before they earn a badge, must include time spent in minority communities as civilians. That these police officers should mentor or play sports with the youth in minority communities, create gardens, speak with the elderly about what life was like before the Civil Rights Movement, talk to minority members about what makes them feel targeted by police, attend predominantly black and Latino churches, hear about what life was like in Latin America (violence, poverty, unemployment) before moving to America, and just simply engage positively with all minorities before becoming police officers. I think this must occur so that police officers view minorities, not as possible threats, but as people they want to protect. Targeting of and by police happens because pervasive racism exists and we don’t live in a post racial society. A simple case in point, recently I attempted to rent a carpet cleaner and attachments to clean my couches before my family visited, and the white saleswoman refused my rental. Every summer since moving to Athens, I have gotten a small taste of what racism feels like because my skin darkens. I am viewed as a Latina and then not allowed to rent a machine or return sandals that broke after one week of wearing them. However, I am lucky because I only get a small dosage of racism during summers in Athens. This never happens to me during the other seasons or up North where a lot of Italians live. From my own experiences, and from what I witnessed happen to minority members all over the United States, I simply cannot believe that we live in a post racial society. We live in a racist society. Racism influences how cops and whites overall interact with minority members daily; that is an unarguable truth. Additionally, work needs to be done to change the perception minorities have of white Americans as well. Admittedly, I am accepted in the minority communities that exist within Athens, but this acceptance is contingent on the belief that I am only passing as white. For example, one of my clients stated to me, “If the cops here knew you are Italian and if you didn’t pass for white you would get pulled over all the time the same way I do”. Now it’s true that I slightly speed sometimes because I’m rushing to get to clients, or class, or teach, or make it to one of my many obligations. It is also true that I never get pulled over. Thus, quite often I'm accepted into the African American community when I am considered as an Italian passing as white. The Latino community here also views me as Italian, a child of immigrants like most of the children in their community, and not as a white person. I am accepted in minority communities when I am not viewed as white. The truth is I am a white Italian American according to the race box that I check on those papers. Maybe I am better described as an Italian passing as white? I guess it depends on who you ask. My story does provide a clear case example of how much work needs to be done in order to improve relationships between minorities and white Americans. In order for me to be accepted in these communities, people disassociate me with the white race because minority members have been hurt time and time again by white Americans. They have been enslaved, raped, used, abused, killed, mocked, discriminated against in towns, cities, communities, schools, and churches. Newspapers, magazines, and media add salt to the wounds by privileging the deaths of police officers and not adequately providing coverage of police brutality. These sources of news and entertainment also display racism. Think about it, there are less minority members on screen and minority actors are often not honored or awarded for their talents (Hi Academy Awards). Please do not get me started on a light-skinned female (although talented) actress playing Nina Simone in her movie; that is against everything Ms. Simone stood for. White mainstream America needs to own up to being racist and actually start eradicating racism. White Americans can do this by connecting positively with minority members within their communities. They must create opportunities for minorities, show them respect, remove privileges associated with white skin tone, and feel love for everyone including those with darker skin color. Mainstream American media has to make more of an effort to acknowledge that racism exists and communicate ways to end racism. Whites also have to work with minorities to advocate on their behalf, such as lobbying against racist laws. Whites must help minority members lobby for laws that will prevent and stop police brutality, including new forms of police training and severe consequences for killing innocent minority victims. All Americans, including whites, need to elect more minority politicians to office. How are we to have laws passed that protect and assist minority members and females when most of our politicians are rich white males? We cannot have a government that works for the betterment of all people when privileged white males dictate social and public policy. Simply put, more attempts have to be made by whites so that minority members do not view them as a threats, but as friends. Again, we need to elect more minority members to office. Additionally In order to ensure that violence and terrorist attacks do not rise in number, we simply cannot elect Donald Trump as president. This will only do more harm than good, both nationally and internationally. Let us always that Donald Trump suggested we build a wall to prevent South Americans fleeing violence from entering America. What type of message does this send to minorities and the rest of the world? Let us always remember that Donald Trump is an extremely wealthy business man with no training in politics, foreign policy, economics, history, or civics. Since the start of his campaign, I have often thought, “Can Donald Trump pass the foreign service exam?”. This exam requires foreign service officers to know civics, American history, world history, domestic and international economics, math, literature, domestic and international politics, foreign policy, law, varying forms of government, foreign language proficiency, religions, etc. I firmly believe that Donald Trump would fail every portion of this exam. How is it foreign officers are required to display more competencies than the president of the United States? How is it even possible that we are considering electing a man that financially reaps the benefits of foreign child labor, fails to share his wealth with the poor and needy, hosted a reality television show, and is simply ignorant? I plead with Americans not to elect Donald Trump. I plead with Americans to acknowledge the racially unjust structure of our society and work to eradicate it. I plead with Americans to stop the violence. I ask Americans to always remember the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Gandhi. I beg Americans to love each other and all human beings in this world despite our differences. In closing, I also plead with ISIS to stop the terror. I am not asking ISIS to westernize. I am not asking them to give up their religious beliefs. I am asking them to stop the mass killings of innocent lives. Although I am not proficiently knowledgeable about the Quran, what I have read contraindicates the usage of violence and mass killings on a day of celebration. What I have read contraindicates the devaluation of women. What I have read is a book of faith, not a book of violence. Please stop the terror. Let us all hope and work towards better tomorrows.
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#OrlandoUnited. How do we all cope with such a tragedy, a massacre of 49 beautiful people who were simply dancing, owning authenticity, and being free? How do we cope with the targeting of 320 people, 49 who died, and 53 who were wounded, and the rest traumatized simply for wanting to have fun in a gay night club? How do we all cope with the loss, the void, the emptiness, the shock caused by such a mass killing founded on notions of hate? How do we ensure that the shooter’s message of hate is silenced with his death? How do we allow love to pervade and show our support to the LGBTQ community?
The answer is simple- We must remember ALWAYS to NEVER forget. WE MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER TO NEVER FORGET. This massacre occurred on June 12 and one might think, “Isn’t she writing this blog a little bit late?”. Yes I am writing this blog many weeks after the massacre and this was intentional because I’ve realized that time makes us forget the impact of tragedy. Time, they say heals, and it does by desensitizing those of us directly removed from the horrors. The terrorizing tragedies that shock and harm us become faded and distant memories to those of us who have no immediate connection to the attacks. We forget. The loved ones of those dead and the survivors remember, but the rest of us, we forget. How many posts, tweets, blogs, etc. did you see when the Orlando massacre first took place? How often did you see #OrlandoUnited the week following June 12? This week, right before the 4th of July, how much news is being given to the Orlando tragedy? Not that much or not enough- the scarcity of news helps us forget to remember. Think back to 9/11, each American old enough to remember the attack can tell you where they were when it happened. I was sitting in my high school band class, wondering why we weren’t playing, when Mr. Crone (my teacher) walked into the room and said, “For some reason tragic news like this is always shared in band class”. He then described the terrorist attacks. I can’t remember what he said, I just remembered the pulsing disbelief, fear, and sadness that overwhelmed me. America, or at least my part of Pittsburgh, became a ghost town where everyone hid in their homes, afraid of another attack. We, Americans, claimed we would never forget. How many of our youth, not living in NYC or related to those that died in 9/11 know details? How many of us actually sit and remember what happened on the anniversary of 9/11? From my observation, Americans treat it as just another day. Again, we forget to remember. Today we lost, Elie Wiesel, a profound writer who memorized the Holocaust and made others remember through his books. He remembered, wrote what was painful, and shared the terrors he experienced. When others wanted to forget he made them remember. Europe, Europeans, remembered World War II for quite some time, paralyzed by the genocide and demolition of almost an entire continent. The European Coal and Steel Community (what is now known as the European Union) was created shortly following World War II in order to economically and politically integrate European countries. The hope was not only to recover what was left, but to rebuild a better Europe through unification. A singular European identity, at one time, was embraced and believed to be the means to prevent war between European nations. Last week, on June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. Seventy one years after World War II, survivors like Elie Wiesel, have died and Europeans are accustomed to the modern cities that replaced the old. Again, we forget to remember. Early this morning, another terrorist attack took place in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Twenty hostages were killed, including six Italians and one American. Isn’t it telling about human nature that I can tell you the nationality of the deceased who share my own nationalities, but I can’t tell you those of the other 13 that died? We live in a world divided by nationalities, religions, race, etc. We also live in a world that unifies us under these arbitrary labels. We live in a world that inflicts terror on those deemed different. Different is arbitrary. Nationality is arbitrary. Race and Religion are arbitrary. We give meaning to things that divide humanity into parts. These divisions create terror and war. We bear witness, feel immediate pain/shock/horror/sadness, we share how we feel immediately following the attacks, and then we start forgetting. These attacks are then repeated, hate is perpetuated, divides are bold-faced, and attacks are repeated. How do we cope? How do we recover what is left? How do we rebuild? I believe integration of all is the answer, along with abandoning what divides us. Not an absence of identity, but an appreciation for what is different and a sharing/bonding through those differences. I still believe in European Unification. I still believe in World Unification. First though, we must remember always to never forget the terrors that happened when people based their decisions on hate, power, or greed. We must remember always to never forget those that died and survived the Holocaust and World War II. We must remember always to never forget 9/11. We must remember always to never forget those that died in Orlando and those that survived. We must remember always to never forget the victims that died today in Dhaka. We must remember always to never forget those that experience and die from terror everyday so that we can create a world without attacks. In closing, this blog is dedicated to all those that have experienced terror and died in Orlando, in Dhaka, and throughout the world. This blog is also dedicated to Elie Wiesel. |
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