In memory of the 15 year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I wrote Finding Peace in the Pieces: Remembering 9/11. In this blog, I attempt to reconcile the tragedy by sharing stories of hope and love that the tragedy inspired. One such story appears the article Coming to Age in the Age of Terror, The 9/11 children: What can they teach us? posted on CNN.com. In this article, I found inspiration from the words of 14 year old Kevin Hannaford, Jr. Kevin is a young man who never knew his father because his mother was pregnant with him at the time of the attacks. Instead of living a life of remorse and sadness, he has chosen to take on a more positive approach to dealing with his unfortunate circumstance. In remembering his father, Kevin says, “I’ve never had a dad there for me. Whatsoever. So it’s sort of like, “What if he were here?” not, “Why isn’t he here?” Isn’t this a profound way to look at his situation? He has chosen to look at the “glass half full” and to turn a negative traumatic life altering event into a positive outlook. Fast forward 15 years. The current national tragedy is not regulated to Americans being preyed upon by foreign religious extremists, but rather by African-American men and women being unsuspected victims of racial profiling, police brutality and the use of excessive force to the fullest measure, death. When faced with confronting my feelings regarding what has become America’s new acts of terror, I thought about Kevin and the maturity behind his words. Then, I began to search for a way that I too could possibly reverse my negative emotions into a positive expression of hope. During this moment of meditation, I got to thinking about Kaepernick and how inspirational he is to the community because he has found a non-violent way to express his disgust with the status quo. I want to join my voice with his and with the others who are fighting to promote social change.
In thinking about how I can add to the conversation, I immediately begin to think about the controversy behind the Black Lives Matter slogan (it should be noted the three word slogan is merely a fragment of the broader scope of the movement). And, upon reflection, I can understand (or I at least attempt to understand) how some people might misinterpret the message. Some people erroneously think that by saying, “Black Lives Matter” that we are saying Black lives are more important than the lives of others. This could not be further from the truth. For everyone who doesn’t “get” the Black Lives Matter movement, let me explain it to you in a way that might help you better understand the concept. Not only do Black Lives Matter, but as a matter of fact, Blacks Live. Blacks matter because we live. We have families, friendships, careers and hobbies. We enjoy all types of activities, different forms of entertainment and a variety of other positive expressions. We live!
I am taking a cue from Kevin Hannaford, Jr. I am going to take what others might think to be a negative and I am going to make it positive. Kaepernick used a sporting event to start a movement. I want to use pictures. I want to encourage African-Americans to show the world that yes, Black Lives Matter, but they matter because we live! Please post to social media, pictures of yourself doing something fabulous and hash tag it #BlacksLive. Let’s show the world that we are positive members of society and that we contribute to every aspect of American culture. Let’s show the world who we really are and as always, let’s press on together.