Rest In Power, Ahmaud

I am complicit in systemic racism; I have been my whole life. I have never had to be afraid to go running in any neighborhood, let alone my own. I have never had plan my wardrobe around how others will interpret what I’m wearing. I am white, 6’, 230 pounds, and generally have facial hair.  I am “safe.”

I cannot imagine what it feels like to be constantly demonized, in a country that is built upon the foundation of the stolen slave labor of my ancestors. A country that has continually denied my humanity and the humanity of those that look like me. The reality is I have friends, colleagues, and other connections who don’t have to imagine what that’s like. Many have written heartbreaking accounts of their reactions to the murder of Ahmaud Arbery that are far better than I could hope to write (Charles Blow, Lee George, Austin Channing Brown, Baranda J Fermin, and Cathryn McClellan to name a few).

Arbery’s killing is the result of centuries of racism, de jure and de facto, that led two white men to believe they had the power and authority to act on bigoted prejudice when they saw something that scared them. They knew they could because there is a 400-year-old body of evidence that repeatedly dehumanizes black men, women, and children at every point on the continuum of sexuality and gender identity.

Ahmaud Arbery was lynched on February 23. The men responsible weren’t arrested until May 7. Not until the atrocity was undeniable, until a video surfaced, did they faced any consequences. They continued life as usual for 10 weeks after they brutally ended a life. If there is any solace to take, it might be this: they are facing charges for murder and aggravated assault. They will be tried for what they actually did, not on watered down charges. 

Now I face a choice. I can condemn the racism that has killed hundreds of thousands and engage in anti-racist efforts. Or, I can sit on my hands in silent, but ultimately complicit, indignation waiting for someone else to do the work. I choose action. It’s nearly 3 years old, and sadly more relevant now than when it was published, but I found a list of 65 ways I can be part of meaningful anti-racist activism.

To my friends impacted by the lynching of Ahmaud Arbery, as insignificant as it is, my heart aches with and for you. To my white friends and family let this be the last injustice we sit idly by and observe. Witness is a powerful tool when working toward change. It is not the responsibility of the marginalized and oppressed to change the hearts and minds of their oppressors, it is ours.

If we do nothing Ahmaud Arbery will become a footnote in the story we tell future generations. It would be an insult to his memory and those who came before him. We must remember their names: Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Botham Jean, Sandra Bland, Ahmaud Arberyry, and too many more.