I am an extremely privileged Black American.

My family has been privileged for generations, first through education and later through powerful jobs and their accompanying lifestyle.

This privilege does not bring safety for me or my family. 1/

Education, position, money, language, clothes; nothing buys safety.

And we should not require these things to achieve safety in the land of the free.
2/

#ChristianCooper is the epitome of the privileged Black man; a bird watching Harvard graduate. Maybe this helped him stay outwardly calm while a White woman tried to bring the power of the police to bear against him.
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Note that I feel those like #AmyCooper have perhaps had too much power taken by men, and perhaps enjoy the possibility of power over another too much. I still hold her accountable, though.
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We need our country to change. We have been fighting the same battles for too long.

Jamestown’s first slaves: 1619
Emancipation: 1863
Civil rights act: 1964
Today: 2020
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What will bring change?

We need every American to take to heart the messages from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail.
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https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html

“For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never."”
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“when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; ... when you have to concoct an answer for a five year old son who is asking: "Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?";
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... when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments;
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when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of "nobodiness"--then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait.”
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And of course:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
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I have a dream.
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I have a dream that my White brothers and White sisters are waking up.

I have a dream that you will stand up and take action.

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I have a dream that you will refuse to believe those who use this moment to further divide us.
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I have a dream that you will look for every way to diminish police power.

I have a dream that you will notice that union arbitration allows arbitrary lack of consequences.
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I have a dream that you will teach your children to notice injustice - in the classroom, on the playground, on the tv. In play dates, on teams, everywhere. It starts in preschool.
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I have a dream that you will write to your school board about the misrepresentation of the civil war in the classroom. History matters.
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I have a dream that you will take the very upsetting Harvard Implicit Association test to measure the bias you have acquired by living in our society.
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https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/education.html

I have a dream that you will notice your own privilege. Did you have a choice to do an unpaid internship that helped your career? Did you have family who helped you through a tough spot? Did you not get judged by the color of your skin rather than the content of your heart?
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I have a dream that, having noticed your privilege and power, you will use your privilege for good.

Every day.

Because when you take action, you make a difference.

#TogetherWeRise

20/20

What do YOU dream?

What else can everyday Americans do right now to make our world a better place?

What can we build toward for the future?

#BlackLivesMatter
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“Municipalities can begin by changing policies or statutes so police officers never respond to certain kinds of emergencies... So if someone calls 911 to report a drug overdose, health care teams rush to the scene; the police wouldn’t get involved. “ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/30/opinion/george-floyd-police-funding.html

If considering adoption, adopt a Black kid. And don’t insist on adopting a girl.

Most importantly, know that you are not saving your child. You will learn to see the world completely differently because you love your child. So will your family. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pri.org/stories/2019-02-21/us-adoption-system-discriminates-against-darker-skinned-children%3famp