Over the last couple of weeks with all that has gone on in our country as a result of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis while in police custody, one local voice had not been heard here — Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who is from Minnesota.
That has changed. He has spoken out, writing a first-person essay for the New York Times.
For as long as I have known it, Minneapolis has been a city of peace, family and contentment.
But not right now.
He calls the problem of systemic racial inequalities “a cancer we are failing to cut out.”
He himself did not experience harassment from law enforcement but he knew many who did when he was growing up.
He wants action from governments, society and individuals. He equates what is happening in the country with protests, both peaceful and violent, to a relationship in which one person is not listened to and how that can lead to behavior like this.
He calls all to listen and to act.
The screams of disrespected voices are ringing out in our nation right now. We must never condone violent riots that take lives and destroy futures but we must also hear the desperate voice of protest that is calling out for justice.
Imagine the desperation of the family of George Floyd and countless other people of color who have suffered injustice in communities across America. Can you hear them? Will their pain and their voices continue to go unheard? Leaders, elected officials, influencers and people in power must listen. We must refuse to allow the screams of the unheard to be disregarded. We must act. Good people may find themselves a part of a broken system but must take it upon themselves to bring about the needed change. If you are silent and passive you are complicit in upholding the status quo.
I know I have probably been silent and passive in some instances.
Whatever the solution might be, it does start with each individual. At the very minimum, it is time to listen and hear. Even if it isn’t something that affects us personally, we must listen to the concerns of others. They are real.
By at least listening, as Fitzgerald writes, “the cries of the unheard are never again compelled to scream in desperation.”
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Ep. 268
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Ep. 267
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