Day 79: Outrage
The outrage over the murder of George Floyd. Of course, this murder is just the latest in a continuum of anti-Black racism. The systemic oppression of minorities is such that many groups are overrepresented in prison populations. The same environment in which COVID-19 spreads like wildfire
As I watch the crowds in the news, or in pictures, I'm in awe of their bravery. They face a system that's stacked against them. They also face the very real danger of becoming infected with a merciless virus. The cause is crucial, more important than fear of the anti-riot police or the mad president, or Sars-CoV-2. Those things are nothing when faced with White supremacy.
My kid's Zoom class was discussing the US protests today. I thank the teacher for bringing it up and for asking the students their opinion on the subject. I heard my kid trying to speak. She wanted to defend the rights of the protestors. A girl from the class kept talking over her, interrupting, accusing protestors of vandalism. Tessa tried to explain that there are too many years of oppression, that anger is understandable, that a life is more valuable than things. She was being shy and polite and, in the end, didn't make herself heard. Later she came to ask me what she had done wrong. How could she speak against these prejudices and postures and be heard? I should have told her I was proud of her, that the question alone meant that she was on the right path. I should have told her how much I love her. Instead, I looked at her in the eye and said: "How do you speak against injustice? Without hesitation."
I hope she knows I'm proud of her and love her. Tomorrow, I'll make sure I tell her.
9:48 pm
Canada cases 93,961
Deaths 7477
Recoveries 50,725
World cases 6,378,239
World deaths 380,250
World recoveries 2,729,527