#Charlottesville

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only LIGHT can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only LOVE can do that.”

– Martin Luther King Jr.

 

It’s mind boggling to me how something as arbitrary as skin color can result in so much hatred. Skin color?! REALLY?! That’s similar to someone saying they have a vendetta against me simply because I choose to wear green nail polish. I don’t understand it.

It’s heartbreaking, but the worst part is THIS ISN’T NEW. People are so astonished at the “White Supremacy” riots, saying “I can’t believe this is still happening in this day and age.” Well welcome to my life. Racism isn’t new. Far from it. What’s new is the technology we have today. What’s new is a national leader who openly perpetuates hate and bigotry. The combination of these two key factors makes it easier to be openly bigoted, and that is EXACTLY what is happening.

It’s times like this that I feel so helpless. What can I do? How can I, as one person in a nation full of millions, affect change. It frustrates me, to say the least.

I had a great conversation today with Matt Stroe, the director of security on my college campus, and a great friend. The advice he gave me when I posed this question to him was “… respect others, and continue to be you, because who you are is great; And you affect others more than you could possibly imagine.”

To others who are feeling this sense of helplessness, and are looking for a way to ease the pain that is so pertinent in our nation at this time, I urge you to heed Matt’s words.

RESPECT EACH OTHER.

BE YOU.

WHO YOU ARE IS GREAT.

YOU AFFECT OTHERS MORE THAN YOU COULD POSSIBLY IMAGINE.

In solidarity,

G