Riots and Astronauts

This weekend America showed the world two sides of herself. Both received mountains of press and social media coverage, both will have lasting effects.

When you take a step back and compare, however, the contrast between them is startling.

While cities across the nation boiled over in protest, with swarms of people expressing anger (sometimes peacefully, sometimes not), another group of citizens united to achieve something remarkable.

Exhibit A was the collective cry over the senseless death of a man, a crime that left many of us wondering how, in 2020, we can still feel such a wide gulf between people over something as shallow as skin color.

Exhibit B was the successful launching of two men into space by a team representing an incredible cross-section of our people.

When two astronauts took off on Saturday afternoon, it was thanks to many thousands of women and men from multiple ethnicities and generations.

Online coverage was extensive, showing people of various races shoulder to shoulder, sharing a moment of exuberance at what they’d accomplished together.

They worked as one, they overcame enormous challenges as one, and they celebrated as one. For those people, in that moment and in that setting, nobody was Black, nobody was White, nobody was Asian, Indian, or Latino. They were a team of human beings, pulling together for something historic.

And achieving it.

Sure, over the years there’s been progress in the way we treat each other, but this weekend’s demonstrations and riots showed that we haven't sufficiently evolved. It’s enough to make most of us shake our heads in dismay.

And yet, in the midst of heartbreaking destruction and hate, for a few hours another group of Americans set a shining example for the rest of us. They looked up from the petty differences that could’ve separated them, and instead looked together to the stars.

Dom Testa is a broadcaster and author.

His series of spy thrillers, the Eric Swan series , is available in print, ebook, and audiobook at your favorite retailer.

Riot image courtesy of  Randy Colas  on  Unsplash