Reason to Believe
October 28, 2018
Once again, this week has been marred by hate and violence. Earlier in the week, another white ardent supporter of Donald Trump mailed pipe bombs to CNN and Democrats who have been critical of Trump. The perpetrator, who has been apprehended and arrested, was known for broadcasting his contempt for those that Trump has continuously publically criticized. Fox News accused the Democrats for planting the bombs because they were “trying to get the Democratic vote out.” Other conservative pundits said the pipe bombs were “fake.” Instead of denouncing the pipe bombs, the President of the United States blamed the media. Fortunately, no one was injured.
On Wednesday, October 24, a white man in Kentucky killed two black people at a Kroger in the Jeffersontown, a suburb of Louisville. One of the victims was at the Kroger with his 12-year-old grandson buying a poster board for the boy's school project when he got shot. The grandson ran out of the store, screaming for help. Surveillance video showed that 10 to 15 minutes before the grocery store shooting, the shooter tried to enter the First Baptist Church in Jeffersontown, an African American church, but the doors were locked. A church administrator told officials that an hour and a half earlier, the church was open and had approximately 70 people inside.
On Saturday, October 27, one more, white gunman armed with an AR-15 and three handguns, with a history of posting anti-Semitic threats online, opened fire in a synagogue in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Eleven lives were lost; six people were injured. The gunman screamed, “All Jews must die.”
Additionally, I saw posts on social media of another angry white man ranting at a Latino woman who recorded the racist rant on her cell phone. The woman was driving to the polls to vote with her 2 year-old daughter strapped into her car seat in the back seat of the vehicle. The man yelled at the woman saying, “Trump’s deporting your illegal cousin today. It’s my country. Get out. You’re ugly. You need a gay friend to help you with makeup and clothes.”
Prior to November 2016, a week with this many reports of violence would have been unusual. But, not anymore. As I read my journal entries from 2017, I’m reminded that the escalating reports of violence and hate occur so frequently that a 24-hour news cycle can’t keep up with each new report. There was a period of time in 2017 when the flags at Parkland Hospital, where I work, remained at half-staff for more than three straight weeks because of some act of random violence.
On July 23, 2017, my journal entry started with “I. Am. Tired.” It’s October 2018, and I’m still exhausted. But, I can’t stop fighting for a return to civility and acceptance. I can’t stop fighting because in 2019, my family will welcome a new life. I’m going to be a great-aunt. My niece and her husband are expecting a baby, who will (if all goes according to plan) arrive in April. My sister will be a grandmother. My mother will be a great-grandmother. My nieces will be a mother and an aunt. My daughter will be a doting cousin.
If you read my post from a few weeks ago, you know that I’m a Rod Stewart fan. One of my favorite Rod Stewart songs is “Reason to Believe.” There’s a lot of hate in our country, but Madison and Ben, you’ve given me a reason to believe in love.
#stillbelieveinlove
#worthfighting4
#reasontobelieve