And Still We Rise
The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do. - Galileo Galilei
This quote reminds me of the safety that a powerful force can give to anything under its domain. But is there any force like that available to us now? Certainly, our government has failed to keep its citizens safe. Indeed, the police, who are supposed to uphold the law and protect citizens have failed to do so. Currently in the streets of cities across our nation, supposed keepers of law are actively assaulting citizens who simply want to exercise their rights. If the citizens accept the status quo, they will be violated and abused and if they protest being violated and abused, they will be violated and abused.
So, who will protect us?
The quote above, from Galileo, gives us a hint. To put it simply, we citizens of conscience and high consciousness, must live our birthright!
As humans, we came here to be free. But historically the powerful have not allowed liberty. Authoritarian governments dating back to antiquity have tried to destroy people’s right to self-determination, but it will not be stopped. Just as when a baby is born with an umbilical cord around its neck but survives, the perpetual movement towards freedom will not die.
As he stood on the steps of the Alabama State House, the arch segregationist, George Wallace declared, "segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever." It is almost laughable. Except that we cannot forget that when that mean-spirited speech was made, in 1963, civil rights activists were fighting for equal access to schools and the voting booth and people were dying. Still, George Wallace is an icon and the people of his mindset were then and are now, oblivious to the truths of this country. They are committed to a construct of white supremacy that is false; no matter how many try to hold it up, no matter how vehemently, no matter how many guns they have. Though it has been painful, history will show that the most recent victim of police abuse, George Floyd, reinvigorated the unending human rights movement. It is a movement of citizens united for peace, purpose, and progress and can’t be denied. Ironically, Wallace’s hate speech gave us a message that is perfect for the old guard and the new authoritarians of today:
Let us send this message back to Washington, via the representatives who are here with us today. From this day, we are standing up, and the heel of tyranny does not fit the neck of an upright man.
Some will question my attempt to reclaim a segregationist’s words to inspire a new generation. My intent is to only look back at this belligerent man’s antics and to assert that his kind will not prevail.
But still, who will protect us? I don’t have a definitive answer, but I do have a clue.
I am the father of two amazing children. My daughters are very intelligent, but not aggressive. They don't have the same racial references that I grew up with, they have an international group of friends. They are socially engaged and see the effects of racism everywhere. Yet, they are neither intimidated nor over-wrought because of white supremacy. It is becoming clear to me that their generation is not going to fight the way my generation fought.
They don’t need to hear the Reverend Al Sharpton preach a similar sermon over and over again when a tragedy happens. They are voting and donating to causes that support civil and human rights. They are connecting through social media with their diverse friend groups, asking how they can become a greater force for good in the world. President Obama has been speaking his message of hope and it makes me realize that my daughters are like him, kind, intelligent and optimistic. They are being guided by and shaped with a consciousness that doesn’t have to prove its worth.
They are motivated but they act from a place of knowing, not defending. Maybe part of the reason for this is that they were actually raised with a black president. Maybe these truths, to them, are self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
The diverse and unyielding gatherings of protestors against current social injustices are proof that Galileo was right. The sun is shining and despite all the dark cycles and energies that try to deny it, it can still ripen something so vulnerable and tender, as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.
Namaste
