Another tragic killing of an innocent black man by police is, I believe, the result of one fundamental problem. Over hundreds of years and many generations we have built a society, and institutions, that create human beings that are capable of these atrocities. This is not just another “bad cop” doing something horrific. This is part of what we get for institutionalized racism.
So, a logical question is, “who has built this horrific society?” Well, let’s start at the top, so to speak. For the past few hundred years, the people in charge of building our society have overwhelmingly been white, male, and presumably Christian and straight. I’m one of these people and I’m saying we need to take ownership for the results, including institutionalized racism, and we need to provide the leadership to urgently fix this. We can no longer stand on the sidelines, pray for the victims and their families, wait a few days for this all to blow over, and continue on with the status quo. We must take bold and effective action right now.
Sadly, in subsequent posts, I will be highlighting other major problems that I and my fellow life lottery winners must step up to and solve. We can no longer enjoy the fruits of the society we’ve built without delivering solutions to the problems that have come along with the fruits. If you build and operate a society designed, in part, to perpetuate white privilege, at some point in time you have to face the consequences. Accepting ownership of the problem and taking urgent action to create a truly inclusive, fair, just and safe society for all is long past due. We must act now.
