As I contemplate the tragic events in Minneapolis and beyond, and the actions and environment which have created the anguished unrest, I have sought to reach within myself to attempt to understand better the condition in this country of persons of color.
It is easy to intellectualize about the enormous impact of 350 years of degradation, humiliation, hatred and racism.
What I know I cannot do is truly understand the weight of this accumulated dehumanizing history upon the psyche of each individual member of every black family and community.
Certainly, we cannot condone violence and destruction; ultimately, that can only lead to more of the same, the targets of which will surely be those who are now acting out.
Yet, I marvel at the collective equanimity of our black brothers and sisters throughout these hundreds of years and up to the present, knowing well that were I to stand in their shoes, I could not avoid the rage which would surely boil within me.
What causes such hatred? Why does it not only continue to occur but to increase in intensity? What must each of us do now and in the future to overcome the evil and malice that reared its ugly head in the murder of George Floyd, and does so daily throughout our community and country?
Allan Slan
Rehoboth Beach
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