Can We Agree … Can We?

Can we all agree that we are all human beings — no matter the color of our skin or the country of origin or the religion we practice

Can we all agree that as human beings we all make mistakes, we all make bad choices, we all have prejudices, ,we all have feelings, we all care, love, get angry, sad, frustrated, mad, indifferent, defiant …

Can we all agree that living in the United States gives us great freedom, we are free to be unique, dress however we want, say whatever we feel, own a gun, burn a flag…

Can we also all agree that living in the United States, gifted with these great freedoms puts great responsibility on all of us…

Can we all agree that it is all our responsibility to make sure all people in the United States feel safe, protected and respected — whether you are Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, Muslim, Catholic, Baptist, male, female, gay, straight…

Can we all agree that our prejudices — defined as preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience — have made many people not feel safe, protected or respected…

Can we all agree that we are all prejudiced by others choice of dress, choice of mate, choice of religion, choice of language…

Can we all agree that there are a lot of people in the United States prejudiced against Blacks by the mere color of their skin and perhaps because our communities are racially divided we can’t possibly get to know each other, understand each other, respect each other…

Can we all agree there are good, bad and indifferent Police Officers? Police Officers are people, we have just agreed people have prejudices, make mistakes, make bad choices…

Can we all agree that we all feel hopeless and angry right now…

Can we all agree on these things as a first step towards solving our problems peacefully…

Can we work in our own small community to bring together people of all race, religions and backgrounds and truly get to know them as friends, neighbors, colleagues… Can we?