Over the past two weeks since George Floyd’s death, I have struggled to find the right words to express my personal anger and outrage, and especially my sense of despondency that our “community” is not really a community at all, but fractured tribes, with the embers of discontent fanned, literally, into flames by the morally corrupt political “leadership” in this country. To this point, my search for meaningful words or actions has been frustratingly inadequate. I have spoken to many people, from different backgrounds, and the synthesis of these discussions is that conventional statements of outrage, while well-intentioned, do little.
I was moved by an article in The New York Times 06.05.2020, by writer Chad Sanders. These sentences struck me because I believe that I have also fallen into this trap:
- “Many white people I know are spilling over with guilt and overzealous attempts to offer sympathy.”
- “Many of my black friends have told me that they, too, are drowning in these one-way messages drenched in white guilt.”
I am therefore making both a personal commitment, and exhorting members of the ANA to make similar commitments to action.
- To educate ourselves in the history of racism and economic oppression in this country.
- To increase our charitable contributions and direct the increment to causes that further the economic and educational development for people of color.
- To commit to working actively with groups striving for social justice, and to facilitate professional development within academic neurology for individuals from UIM groups.