Day 89

Monday June 8, 2020 It is not just another Manic Monday (so sang the Bangles in 1986). It is manic, but not just another... We don't typically have Mondays like this, indeed with a pandemic caused by a virus that has infected over 7 million and resulted in over 400,000 deaths and social unrest not seen since the late sixties and early seventies, and manic does not even begin to describe what is happening in the world. On top of the fact it is an election year with the incumbent president being one of the most controversial POTUS' in our nation's history.  It is in some ways unbelievable, insane and unprecedented.  The social unrest was spirited by a racial slaying in which a white police officer knelt on the neck of a n unarmed black man for nine minutes resulting in the death of one George Floyd. The reaction was protest and outrage over another uncalled for murder of a black community member by a white officer of the law. The protests come on the heels of a horrific death due to corrupt authority in the way of a mostly white police force and it has been this way too long.  George Floyd is certainly not the first, just the most recent and we can only hope the last.
     The racial discrimination goes beyond law enforcement and is something we are all witnessing first hand through the lens of the pandemic. "At least 20,000 black Americans have died from the virus. Their death rate is nearly 2.5 times higher than whites, and it has never been less than twice that of Latinos and Asians, according to recent data compiled by APM Research Lab. Despite comprising 13% of the country, they make up 25% of Covid-19 deaths."
The difference is evidence for an unfair system that runs through opportunities in education, employment, housing, healthcare, transportation and politics.  All this leads to is more pain and suffering and now more exposure to the virus and subsequently more death. In some states the black community makes up less than 25% of the population but in those areas some 42, 56 and even 80% of the Covid19 deaths.  The changes needed to bring equity to these systems will not happen without protest and a fight. The battle has begun. The voices are speaking.  The fists are raised. The time is now. For if not now, when. It has been 66 years since Brown vs the Board of Education desegregated schools, but there is segregation in this country in other forms. Blacks are represented with a mere 13% of the U.S. police force. In 2019 there were only 52 black U.S. representatives.
"the basic fuel for the teamwork machine is enthusiasm" Glover and Midura
Oh boy is there enthusiasm as protests have been ongoing for over ten days as police forces across the country are looking to reform practices, education and the punishment of officers who are found to use brutality when enforcing the law. It is an opportunity to change the laws and upholding of laws. It is an opportunity to improve the police system in ways that coincide with their motto "to protect and serve" This moment in time is an opportunity to rewrite the language and doctrines written to create a more equitable world for all. They same change starts at the top. In our nation that means the White House. and that is a good place to start by changing the name of the "White House" to something of equality and representative of all people no matter what their color.