Son of Baldwin, I respect where you are coming from, I agree with most of your points and I usually agree with you on the whole but I can’t here. I’m not outraged by your words, but sad for you.
I am sad for Justine Diamond and her family. I am every bit as sad for Aiyana and her family, as well as Philando, Dejuan Guillory (why is no one writing about him?!), Alton Sterling, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Korryn Gaines, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland…the list goes on and on. I’m not sad because Justine was white (it should be noted that I am, as well), or because all of the others were black; I am sad because I am a human being and they were all human beings — people with family, people who were loved, people whose lives were unnecessarily cut short.
As a separate issue, I am also heartbroken and outraged about the circumstances of their death. I have written and spoken out regularly about almost all of them, I have participated in protests, I support BLM (I say all this not to impress upon you that I am not that white person, which is neither here nor there, but to make a point that will hopefully become clear). For that matter, I am as appalled as you are about the lack of white concern about their deaths, and the failure to convict their murderers. I will continue to speak out about all of these cases except Justine’s, because her family doesn’t need my support. The white community, and some of the black community, is rallying around her — just as they should, and just as they should have for Philando and all the others. The fact that they didn’t is indeed beyond hypocritical and revolting.
At the end of the day, though, none of this matters much to Justine and Philando: they are dead, and wrongly murdered in the prime of life, and I am sad for both of them as human beings, regardless of their color. And again, I am also sad for you, not looking past their color to the sadness of their loss as people (which is distinctly different than the necessary outrage over the different circumstances during and after their deaths, as noted above). I can’t blame you, under the circumstances, but I feel for you. Because until we can look at someone and see a human being rather than a skin color, the scourge of racism will continue to plague all of us, and we are all diminished.
Namaste.
