Day 84

It is Wednesday June 4, 2020
First an explanation for yesterday. This is from the Colorado Public Radio website:
"Black Lives Matter.
We stand in solidarity with our Black communities and those on the frontlines. We stand against the systems that lead to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many more. We acknowledge the platform we have and vow to use it to speak against systemic violence and oppression so Denver can be safe for Black, Indigenous, and all People Of Color.

We have a lot of learning to do, and we are here to listen.
Tomorrow, we will join our peers from the music industry in observing “Blackout Tuesday” by muting our email and social channels to create more space for dialogue. #BlackLivesMatter #TheShowMustBePaused #AmplifyMelanatedVoices #DoStuffForYourCommunity

If you have privilege, we encourage you to use your voice to actively combat racism. Action looks different for everyone. Consider muting your social channels with us tomorrow to make space for Black voices. Join the front line protesting. Make monthly donations. Write to your leaders. Have those hard conversations with your community, your coworkers, and your family."
So, that is why no blog was reported yesterday.
Today we start with a quote.

"Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn't know before you learned it"

Yesterday Maren and I both felt a heavy weight upon us as the events of the recent days have unfolded and left a psychological mark on our hearts and minds. We, as educators in a diverse community of students in Aurora, Colorado, have the opportunity to educate young minds on all subjects including racism, implicit bias and bigotry. We know we can better prepare ourselves for the conversations about these topics and we are planning a book study this summer with a book entitled How to be anti-racist. We also forgive ourselves for times in the past when we were not anti-racist and not proactive enough to support those who are often unsupported and repressed. 

On this day, after the seventh day and night of protests and riots, the coronavirus is still here, infecting and killing and many health experts fear the repercussions of the large crowd gatherings across the nation.  Over 40 cities have had peaceful protests, some of which have turned to riots. 

The virus numbers today are down, but that may be a lag in reporting. According to worldmeters

there were 48,835 new cases and 1,713 new deaths.  The world is to in turmoil over a bigger issue. 

The issue of inequality and injustice. Forgive yourself, but do more to fight racism. Be better to all people and educate yourself on the issues and make changes where you can. This is a photo of the memorial being created on the site where George Floyd's life was taken.