This book is about racial reconciliation. We are all Americans irrespective of our race, religion, sexual preference, or national origin. Whenever members of any race conduct themselves as being superior to another race, that's racism. If we truly care about this beautiful country of ours, we must deal with this horrible cancer of racism. It's not that complicated; but someone has to start that ongoing conversation.
Americans have always been resourceful. We lead the world in science and technology. When our backs are against the wall, we rise to the occasion. This year, we were hit with the COVID-19 pandemic, and our scientists have now discovered a viable vaccine.
Remember in school when the teacher paired you with a stranger to complete a two-week assignment? Maybe that person was Black and lived across the tracks. Because of the amount of racial tension in the world today, you might have felt uncomfortable and reluctant to accept that task. However, after working with that person, your inhibitions slowly faded away, and by the end of the assignment, you became quite friendly toward one another. There was nothing magical about it. The more time spent on the assignment, the more you learned about one another.
The author wrote this book to make known the journey the Black people traveled in America. Moreover, the author wanted to personalize it by adding my journey as well. As with the example of the two people mentioned in their assignment, the author is hoping the more my white brothers and sisters know our journeys, the more likelihood of them understanding us.
Something happened this year that proved the author's point. After the George Floyd murder, the author saw people of all races stop what they were doing to focus their attention on that video. The fact they were witnessing the actual murder of an unarmed human being triggered something inside of them. Whatever it was, they felt compelled to do something about it.
During this time period, the words "Black Lives Matter" wrongly had negative connotations by some white people. However, white people proudly marched under that Black Lives Matter banner with their Black brothers and sisters. America has never seen those kind of protest marches. Not only did those marches occur all over America, the Black Lives Matter banner and protests was seen in numerous foreign countries. Those marches lasted nonstop for over a solid month.
Those white brothers and sisters put their lives on the line. They were shot with rubber bullets, clubbed, knocked to the ground, pepper sprayed, and tear-gassed by law enforcement officials. They realized the systemic killing of Black men, women, and children was real, and it had to stop.
They inspired the author to think about what he could do to help the cause. He decided to write this book. He thought if his white brothers and sisters can react to George Floyd's killing, how beneficial it would be to them if they learned more about the Black people's journey in America.
The author is optimistic about a coming together of all Americans one day. We must learn from this new generation of Americans. They are leading the way, and he thanks God for strength, courage, and color blindness.
Stay woke!
