To Speak About George Floyd
When caucasian folks don't like it when I suggest we honor George Floyd's life (because he wasn’t “honorable,” or because he was a “law-breaker,”) I invite them to look at this from one of a half-dozen angles…
1-You comment on George Floyd's life as if you know the specific details of his life, why he made the choices that he did, what kind of societal pressures formed him, what kind of psychological problems he might have had, what kind of economic situation he might've been in, or hardships he could've gone through. It can be painful to realize, but the character of even the very worst among us (though I'm not suggesting Mr. Floyd is the worst among us) is in part the product of society. We all play a role. Who of us can be the judge? Who of us would claim to know all the reasons why any of us do anything? Rather than listing all of his faults, you could just humbly bow your head and stop with your comment, "What happened to him should've never happened."
2-I imagine on the night that Jesus was crucified, some Roman soldier or some religious leader lay in bed and talked to his spouse about how it was too bad that someone like Jesus was hung up and killed unjustly but then probably followed it up with a comment like, "But you know he was a criminal. Think about all the things he did in the temple. Think about the laws that he subverted. Think about the traditions that he didn't follow. It's terrible what happened, but I can't honor that man."
3-We can honor anyone's life. We should honor everyone's life. If the Christian can't honor a human being, irrespective of their problems, who can?
4-You could look around and see millions and millions of young people fed up with the system that's been handed them. You could recognize the great turmoil our country is in, yes due in part to some things out of anyone's control, but also in part to an Americanized, predominantly white, religious institution which claimed God was on their side, who preached "law and order," all the while pillaging this land and BIPOC human beings. We may not be personally responsible for the systems that have been handed to us. Still, we are personally responsible for cultivating a measure of humility, intellectual honesty, and repentance as we move forward. You don’t have to agree with me, but you could have enough respect to be aware of the millions of darker skinned people who have been traumatized by nationalistic and colonizing systems.
5-If you want to condemn folks who broke the law or who weren't good role models, I point you to those responsible for the Tulsa massacre, those presiding at the trial of Emmit Till, those who disrespected Rosa Parks, those who created the Trail of Tears, those who scaled the wall of the Capital on January 6, or a million other instances where people clearly fell short of anyone's definition of being a good role model.
6-The modern Western Chrisitan has forgotten (or never learned) that the person at the very centerpiece of our religion was manipulated, coerced, and ultimately murdered by the religious, economic, and political powers 2,000 years ago. Because of that, we are compelled to point out how similar systems are still alive and well in our day.
We can be thankful for our country without being nationalists.
We can be grateful for what the law gives us, but always be aware of how much it can take away.
We can be mindful of how much it cost for us to have freedom in this country, but we should never forget that it cost the darker-skinned person way more than the lighter-skinned person.
Yes, look at it from one of these angles, and hopefully all of these angles. Sit with it. Reflect. If you haven't been intimately a part of a group that's been routinely overlooked, scapegoated, and victimized for 400 years, it might be best to be “quick to listen and slow to speak.”
