"Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble."
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"You're an embarrassment!" he shouted as he came across the street. "To your race" is the part of the phrase he implied but didn't add.
My wife and I have been vigiling each afternoon on a busy street corner one-and-a-half blocks from our home in Winston-Salem, NC, for the past two months. It is our attempt to "get in the way" and to "find some good trouble," in the words of the late John Lewis.
After the death of George Floyd, we attended two Black Lives Matter protests in our city, yet quickly realized that social distancing and protesting in large groups don't work for those of us in the category of folks considered "at-risk" during the Covid-19 epidemic.
I don't know the name of the man who was so infuriated at me for holding a "Black Lives Matter" placard and my wife for bearing one which reads "Dismantle Racism: Work for Justice & Peace, Respect the Dignity of Every Human Being." He ranted at us as we tried to talk with him, but he kept shouting and was just returning to his car when another car driven by a young African American man pulled in between in an effort to protect us.
The situation could have escalated, but we asked the young man not to get involved, so he just sat in his car, a visible barrier between the two philosophies. The upset white man drove away after a few more rants. Our daily vigils continue, and the support of our fellow Winston-Salemites is apparent in the large number of honks and the waves we receive each day. Not that all the fingers are a thumbs up, but the obscene gestures are few and far between.
Does it matter? Are we making any difference? We occasionally have white drivers shout at us, "All lives matter!" We agree with them, by the way, as would Congressman Lewis. I have a bookmark inscribed with the words of Gene Testimony Hall: "Let's be clear, We said Black Lives Matter. We never said Only Black Lives Matter. That was the Media, Not us. In truth, we know that All Lives Matter. We've supported your lives throughout history. Now we need your help with Black Lives Matter, for Black lives are in danger."
I know the truth of that statement each day when I read our local paper. Last week two 14-year-olds died outside on a lawn, victims of a drive-by shooting. I have a litany I pray on the vigil line that goes "Say their names: Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor…"
"The news is replete with tributes to Rep. Lewis these days, as well it should be. But I have found many of the stories missing a vital component: his forthrightness in addressing the connections between racism, excessive materialism, and militarism in American society. Lewis believed heart and soul in nonviolence to confront these "triple evils" named by Dr. King. He believed that love was the answer. In the words from my wife's protest sign and the Baptismal Covenant of the Episcopal liturgy: Will you strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being? John Lewis certainly replied: I will, with God's help."
Please continue this article here: https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/08/22/respecting-dignity-every-human-being-reflections-john-lewis
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