Thoughts in the Aftermath of the Murder of George Floyd
These are my thoughts in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. Everything hurts. Seeing the image of Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd's neck hurts. Seeing the same image with George's face blurred out hurts. Seeing people lash out in anger at police officers hurts. Seeing police officers abuse their power hurts too. The unreasonable angry statements made on social media platforms out of an overflow of pain hurt my heart, but I appreciate them. It hurts when well-meaning people check on me, their black friend, because it reminds me that I'm "other" to them. But I thank God that they care to check in. It hurts when people are silent and it hurts when they speak. Nothing about this situation feels good. However, acknowledgement helps. I've found that it hurts differently when church leaders, community leaders, politicians, law enforcement officers, and friends of all races have acknowledged systemic racism and the lack of justice for black people in