Wake up and step up

I am White.

I am not blind, nor am I an ostrich.

I see what is happening in our country. I see the pain and anguish of my Black fellow citizens. I am sick and angry and I know that my anger is nothing compared to theirs because I can never fully comprehend their experience.

White people need to stop denying the problem. I am sick of hearing white people say that they aren’t racist, they have black friends, yet automatically suspecting black people of mal-intent. I am sick of hearing people say they’re colorblind, while commenting on how surprisingly well-spoken a black person is. I am sick of hearing people say racism doesn’t exist anymore. I am sick of people denying the Black Lives Matter movement by screaming “All Lives Matter” when not all lives are treated equally. I am sick of hearing people cite their hardships, when last week I watched a man be murdered, who died begging for his life and crying for his mother.

White people, we must do better. As a group we have done too little to help. We must take our heads out of the sand and say, “This is Wrong!” and fight for justice. We cannot change the past, but we can change the future.

The time is now.

For George. For Breonna. For Ahmaud. For Bothem. For Eric. For Alton. For Mike. For Tamir. For Trayvon. For Philando.

For Emmett.

For everyone.

Katherine Williams

Spokane