Susan Narjala
Keeping it Real
We Can’t Look The Other Way
He had his in hands in his pockets.
That usually signifies the casual, the nonchalant, the carefree.
That doesn’t usually signify hate, crime, or murder.
And yet while the police officer pinned George Floyd down with his knee bearing down on his neck, he casually put his hands in his pockets. Like he was taking a stroll. Like this was no big deal.
With his hands in his pockets, the officer robbed a man of his life. He casually dismissed the value of life because of the color of a person’s skin. No, I don’t believe that he meant to kill Floyd. But I do believe the officer meant to control the narrative. To show George who had the power. To show him that he was nothing, that he didn’t count, that he was just like all the rest of them. With that he crushed a man’s spirit – and then took his life.
We watch the videos, angry, appalled, distraught. On the heels of Ahmaud Arbery murder, this senseless killing creates in us a visceral response.
But here’s the thing: It really does makes sense. This really does add up. It isn’t really that hard to understand how this still happens.
Because we insulate ourselves. Quarantine or not, we are comfortable in our own little bubbles. We don’t want to get our hands dirty. We cast incidents like this as sad, even horrific, but at the end of the day, it is someone else’s problem. We click our tongues in sympathy and then we look the other way.
In some ways, we have our hands in our pockets.
This “us” versus “them” narrative is ingrained in our homes whether we realize it or not. It is ingrained in our homes when we refuse to acknowledge privilege granted by the color of our skin or the size of our bank accounts. It is ingrained when we brush off incidents like this as one-off rather than seeing it as systemic. It’s ingrained in us when racism is swept under the carpet of nice-isms in our living rooms. It’s ingrained when we remain silent.
Today, I want to speak to parents. Parents who are raising their kids to be independent and smart and accomplished and self-confident. Are we also being intentional about raising them to see each person as created in the image of God? Are we teaching them empathy for those who look nothing like them? Are we teaching them to speak up against injustice?
A few years ago, I wrote an article for parent.com that color-blindness is not the goal. I remember speaking about this to my Caucasian friend whose child went to the same Kindergarten as mine. She was appalled at this idea. “Of course my son doesn’t notice that he is white and his friend is brown,” she insisted. She firmly believed that ignoring color was the best way to neutralize any problems. Naturally, her Kindergartner (like all Kindergarteners) noticed pink flowers, yellow slides and red hearts. And, of course, the child noticed that some people look different. Why ignore it then? If they are not taught to respect every race, children naturally start concocting certain ideas, assigning sometimes negative characteristics to people of color.
As a brown woman who has spent a considerable portion of her life in a largely-white city in the US, as someone who has had brushes with racism, I invite you to talk to your kids about the beauty of every race – because every person is made in the image of God.
I invite you to dismantle fears and misconceptions that might have crept into their minds. I invite you to read books to them about people of different color. I invite you to make friends with those who look nothing like you. I invite you to sensitively ask your friends questions and listen with an open heart.
I invite you to take your hands out of your pocket.
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
– Martin Luther King,Jr.
MEET SUSAN
Comments
16 Comments
Sindhuja Nithin
Wow Susan so well written . Thank you for this 🙏
Susan Narjala
Thanks, Sindhuja! Hope you’re doing well. – Susan
Josephine Muturi
Thanks Susan let’s teach our society and the world that we are all equal before God , people learn to respect life.
Let’s remove our hands from the pocket
Susan Narjala
Thanks, Josephine! That’s so true – God doesn’t show favoritism. Thanks for stopping by! – Susan
Hannah
Amazing writing. Thank you Susan.
Susan Narjala
Thank you, Hannah!
Tina
My favorite part of this heartfelt post…We are all created in the image of God. Makes me think…man has put up race barriers. God didn’t put them there. Thank you for sharing.
Susan Narjala
He created all of us equal and breathed the same breath of life into all of us and made us all in His image. It’s so sad that we have forgotten that. Thank you for sharing, Tina. – Susan
JACOB
Inspired writing that has truly inspired us
Susan Narjala
Thank you 🙂
Tina
Love it, Susan!!!
Susan Narjala
Thank you, Tina. Thanks for sharing it, too. Writing seems such a meager response to the craziness going on around us. But I guess it’s a start. – Susan
mishonda t felix
Beautifully and courageously written…🌸
Susan Narjala
Thank you, Mishonda. Together, we stand strong. – Susan
Elvera
In the weirdest way possible (at least I thought it was weird and I am the only one who cared about the hand in the man’s pocket, therefore was mean) I noticed the hand in the pocket. That was almost as upsetting as hearing the victim’s desperate plea to be given some air.
Susan Narjala
I know Elvera.. his casual attitude was disturbing. May we never forget. Thank you for sharing. – Susan