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My earliest memories of the teachings of the Bible were of a loving God, a God who asked us to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves” and to “defend the rights of the poor and needy.” This is where I learned that “faith” is a verb; I believe we must live our faith and show faith in action.
“Hidden under everything we do, the best entertainment we put on, there is always a message: Look about you. Think about this.”
In the end, I knew I was there for the victims. Both the victims of crimes committed and the victims of a broken criminal justice system.
Some people were surprised I was so relentless. And I know some others questioned how I, as a black woman, could countenance being part of “the machine” putting more young men of color behind bars. There is no doubt that the criminal justice system has deep flaws, that it is broken in fundamental ways. And we need to deal with that. But we cannot overlook or ignore that mother’s pain, that child’s death, that murderer who still walks the streets. I believe there must be serious consequences for people who commit serious crimes.
If there aren’t serious consequences for police brutality in our justice system, what kind of message does that send to police officers? And what kind of message does it send to the community? Public safety depends on public trust. It depends on people believing they will be treated fairly and transparently. It depends on a justice system that is steeped in the notions of objectivity and impartiality. It depends on the basic decency our Constitution demands.
I also know this: it is a false choice to suggest that you must either be for the police or for police accountability. I am for both. Most people I know are for both. Let’s speak some truth about that, too.
Millions of homeowners had raised their voices, along with activists and advocacy organizations that were mobilizing based on our strategy. We knew we weren’t alone. Still, this period was hard. Before bed, I would say a small prayer: “God, please help me do the right thing.” I’d pray that I was choosing the right path, and for the courage to stay the course. Most of all, I’d pray that the families counting on me remained safe and secure. I knew how much was at stake.
Dialysis is a process by which a machine cleans the blood of patients who are in kidney failure. Kidney disease remains the ninth leading cause of death in America, but for a person in kidney failure, dialysis is a lifesaving treatment and an important bridge between loss of kidney function and getting a kidney transplant (which is a cheaper alternative with a much better prognosis). Across the country, nearly 500,000 patients are on dialysis, going three times a week to have their blood circulated out of their body through a multi-hour process that mimics a healthy kidney’s function.
A patriot is not someone who condones the conduct of our country, whatever it does; it is someone who fights every day for the ideals of the country, whatever it takes.
Years from now, our children and our grandchildren will look up and lock eyes with us. They will ask us where we were when the stakes were so high. They will ask us what it was like. I don’t want us to just tell them how we felt. I want us to tell them what we did.
