Although I agree with the sentiment and the statement that we are all children of God, Mitt just doesn't get it. We can't "stop seeing" people's skin color. Ignoring race adds to the problem. Instead of loving one another DESPITE our differences we need to love one another BECAUSE of our differences. If you can't do that, then you might be racist. We need to be able to look into each other's faces and try to understand. We need to able to say, "I'm sorry."
I got into an elevator yesterday morning with five large black men. I tried to make eye contact and do the awkward elevator smile that everyone does. Not one of them would make eye contact with me. I wanted to tell them, in light of all that's happened these last few weeks, that I'm sorry.
This is not a modern problem. This began in 1619.
It is impossible for me (a white, middle-class woman) to fully understand what it is like to have a heritage that was abused in the way the African people were abused in the 17th and 18th centuries by Americans of that time. I can never truly understand what it was like in the time immediately following the Civil War. It was unimaginably horrible and it has gotten better but it is far from over.
I don't think there is any way to completely recover from that kind of trauma. It is something that will carry on for generations to come. History will not, nor should it, be forgotten. It is not water under the bridge and it probably never will be. Many African Americans are angry, and they have every right to feel that way. When something terrible happens you don't move on and pretend nothing happened. You have to learn from your mistakes. So we have to ask ourselves, what have the American people learned since 1619?
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, one of the leaders of the Mormon church, gave a talk at a church wide conference a few years ago that has really stuck with me. There was one admonition that he kept repeating, "stop it!"
I watch the news and read what people are saying and I want to stand up and shout STOP IT!
To people who fear others because of their skin color, stop it. To people who refuse to acknowledge that we have a problem with racism in this country, stop it. To the NRA who is using racial tensions to line their pockets, stop it.To the media who are constantly looking to highlight conflict to boost ratings, stop it. If we don't stop, we are going to implode.
Take a good long look in the mirror and ask yourself this question, "am I part of the problem?" Or better yet, "how can I be part of the solution?"
Heather: You are a better person than most. All people have thoughts that go through their minds without them knowing what they are. If they act immediately on that thought then they do things that are usually bad. What people need to do is to change the way they react. They should never do things without taking a minute to think about what they have seen or heard and then decide if acting on that decision will be helpful or hurtful. Then things will begin to change because each person is better at changing themselves than they are at changing others.
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