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Obviously most of us white folks can't imagine what it must be like for our black friends, family and fellow humans. A lot of us seem to want to jump right to the end, saying "why does color even matter"? And while that is the ideal, and a day may come when such a thing is forgotten, that day is NOT at hand. Not by a longshot. Change is hard, especially when it involves hearts and minds. I just hope that this isn't just another moment that passes by without any significant change. I'm hopeful that we can seize this day and, this time, make it stick. This killing has to stop. The hatred has to stop. And, yes, it looks like we've got our hands full educating the ignorant as well. <sigh>

@NocteSpiritus @Stu Thank you so much for your insights. I suppose it is hard for me to accept when people are genuinely looking out for others. For me, this "attack on Blacks" is something we deal with everyday, then once in a while, it makes national news like Rodney King or Malice Green. I suppose it's that I'm so close to the actions that causes the powderkeg to go off, that I get nervous about it being brought to worldwide attention because of the backlash we end up suffering. It tends to create that "how dare you think you're as good as someone else...don't you know you're Black" and "you're only a couple generations from the fields yourself, who do you think you are". I know that is psychological warfare, but it has been in effect for so long that there are still those that keep it going...not that they are bad people, but that they were raised as victims of racism themselves. My generation grew up with "Eyes on the Prize", "Shades of a Single Protein" and "Roots" which all played to the entire school body every February in the school auditorium, preceded by the "I Have A Dream" speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for Black History Class. However, right before the end of my 8th grade year, parents of the non-Black students began a protest stating that it was unconstitutional to force their children to watch such stuff as it didn't have anything to do with them. As a middle schooler, I remember feeling scared about that outcry of outrage because it reminded me of the incident that happened when I was in 1st grade and the newly immigrated father, of an Armenian child who was in my class, stormed our elementary school, threatening to shoot all of the teachers if his son had to recite the "Pledge of Allegiance" ever again. From then on, that student never again stood up with us or placed his hand over his heart as we all stood together with pride for the American Flag. So even back then, I found all of this concerning as Black History was completely phased out of our core classes and only taken as a high school elective. Now, the youth of today have no true understanding of Black History unless it is taken as an elective in college, and by that time, they don't see a need for it. While attending college, my "Speech-Debate" class got into a discussion about if there was still a need for Black History Studies in this country, to which one of my classmates replied, "Why do I need to study about being Black, I am Black." I dropped my head. She was 21.

I'm in the same boat as Stu with the whole "I'm white and won't ever really imagine what it's like to be black" aspect. But as one who's "woke", I call that being open minded and know what's right and wrong. As one who's a generation and a half younger than you two, I wasn't around for the Detroit riots, but I was alive back in 92 for the Rodney King riots (granted I was like ... 7/8 at the time being born in November of 86). Having grown up in a white neighborhood (I remember having one black kid in my class in the third grade, never saw him after that year was done). Not to say I've had black classmates in the following years, but that was my hometown's racial make up. I didn't grow up with Black Studies, pretty sure the community college I went for two years didn't have it. You may be black, but you need to know your history. Which will bring up slavery and the civil rights movement, and all that. And how the "White Man" stole your ancestors from Africa and brought them over to the Gulf Islands and America. African tribes sold out other African tribes to the white traders (yeah, I read Roots. Still have the copy), who then packed the holds so tight, a good number got sick/died during the crossing. As a younger member of society, I've benefited from the hard work that those have done before me have done (from woman's suffrage/right to vote, to work rights, and all other things I can't recall). Does that mean I can not go in and fight and lend my support to those that need it? Hell no; because that's who I am. Even if I don't go physically, my support is there regardless. I will snap on those who wanna counter Black Lives Matter with All Lives Matter. No lives matter until we're all on equal standing.

Let's make this more basic: 1. Murder is wrong. Full stop. 2. Bigotry is wrong. People who might be different than you are in some way are still PEOPLE. Do not abuse or mistreat them. 3. Right now, black people are being targeted by government employees acting in MY NAME. If I don't speak up, roll up my sleeves and ACT to stop it, then I am complicit. I refuse to condone state-sanctioned murder. 4. Diversity is a STRENGTH. How rich is our culture because of all of the different people from all walks of life who immigrated here? How lucky are we to be able to experience such diversity, right here at home? How much better is our country because of it? THAT is the definition of being "blessed." We need to celebrate our difference as much as we celebrate our unity. 5. We need to be here for each other. We're all we've got. We need to stand up for our fellow human beings. Sometimes the oppressors are our friends and family -- we cannot hide, slink away or bury our heads in the sand. We need to challenge their bigotry and work to change hearts and minds. We (as white people) need to CLEAN HOUSE. Tolerance is complicity; just as the cops who stood by as their colleague murdered Mr. Floyd. Don't stand idly by. Speak up. Educate. And, for pity's sake, HELP. Make your representatives know your name! (Do you know theirs?) Let them hear from you weekly, if not daily. BE A PEST. 6. Make it about LOVE. Don't shirk the word. We talk a lot about "hate crimes." It's easy to hate. We hear that word a LOT. So where's the love? Don't we ALL want it? Don't we all crave it? And doesn't it feel SO much better to GIVE it? WHY can't life be about love? Why can't we help, nurture and lift up our fellow human beings and help them achieve their dreams? It costs nothing to offer words of encouragement, or simply staying the hell out of someone's way. Even though I'm an atheist, I've always liked the "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" ethic., but I also add the other half: "do NOT do to others anything you do NOT want done to yourself." Think of the person you love the most. What would you be willing to do for them? Now think of a stranger and ask yourself, why WOULDN'T you do the same for them? We're never going to make it as a species if we cannot learn to love one another and see and accept the humanity of EVERYONE. Right now, it MUST be about black lives matter. The killing must stop. The situation is untenable, and injustice cannot be tolerated anymore. Maybe one day we can ALL look back and say, "those were dark times, I'm glad that's all behind us." But that time is NOT now, nor is it anytime soon. Not without work. Not without unity. We need to be relentless: as the Marines like to say, adapt, improvise and overcome. And, frankly, I don't care WHY some people or groups ally themselves to this vision. If they do it out of guilt, pride, virtue signaling, anger.... whatever.... as the old saying goes, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Welcome aboard. We love you, too. Just my thoughts and ramblings. If you've gotten this far, thanks for your eyeball time.

I know. I think it might be attributed to the whole "they're getting attention. I want some, too." and start raising their voices that young kids tend to do. Like, seriously? We've had centuries of death of black people and we as a society finally had enough and rose up a la the French people to bring down the French Monarchy and you unrelated groups wanna get attention? No. Sit down and shut up since you're not helping.