#YourNameHere

I learned a long time ago that writing is difficult when you're not in the right head space.  Being busy or agitated makes it hard to articulate exactly what you want to say.  That fact is partly to blame for my lack of writing lately.  Work and family always keeps me grinding but they are not at fault this time.

For all of my trying to get everyone to understand the situation with Black people in America I was just as outraged as the willfully ignorant when the grand jury failed to indict Darren Wilson for murdering Mike Brown.  Just as that outrage was beginning to simmer down, the same thing happened with Eric Garner.  Then there was the killing of Tamir Rice which some of you misguided souls felt the need to share the video of.  There was also John Crawford who was murdered in Wal-Mart for shopping for a pellet gun... at Wal-mart.

I have to admit that the vindication of my world view was bitter sweet.  I don't think any of White friends can accuse me of being oversensitive or racist today.  But I'm not going to take a victory lap on that front.  Nobody wins here.

What we do have to talk about is what comes next.  These are not new occurrences in America.  This has been happening pretty consistently for the last 400 years.  What is new is this energy that is coming out of a once complacent public.

As a nation, I wonder though, if we have had enough.  I mean for all the successes of the civil rights movement, we've been stalled in this place of silently condoning for a long time.  Every voice that has risen in opposition has been marginalized and in the case of The Black Panther Party, vigorously stamped out.

What we are learning through social media is that everyone can use their access to those forums to vent safely behind a computer screen.  The dangerous thing about that is when all of those voices realized that they shared the same feelings it became easier to speak up.  It would seem that the silent majority has many twitter accounts.

This movement for equality has moved from the background to the forefront of social discussion.  Score one for hashtag activism.

One thing that I enjoyed seeing is that White people have come along.  Surely not all of them but some, and I will take progress anywhere it rears its head on this one.

White people are right to join in this because this is greater than Black and White.  This is an American issue.

The police can do whatever they want to do to Black people because so many of us are poor.  Poverty knows no race and with the rampant poverty and growing wealth gap, White people would be well advised to realize that they can find themselves in the firing line soon.  They should do all they can to see to it that that never happens and if that means stemming the tide of violence against Black bodies then so be it.

I've been content with my own death for a long time.  It is quite the sobering understanding that you could be killed at any given time.  However it is an important step in knowing that your moment in time matters.

If we are to not only survive but flourish within the blessing that is to be alive, we need to know that all lives matter.  When people never question why and how their lives are being more valued than others, I think they miss that philosophical step. 

Instead of asking ourselves 'Who's going to be next?'.  We need to understand 'I may be next'.  Not just Black people but all of us.  Only then can we bring about real change.