“Every time I write my name I am writing American history.”
Every day is important but some days are both important and memorable. In between teleconferencing and zooming, I heard bits of the George Floyd memorial service.
It was when all was done that I was able to focus my attention as the Rev. Al Sharpton took the pulpit. It was the story he told when he was at the gym. A White fella said to him, “ Rev Al why you always talking about race?” And in his reply, he spoke of how deep the race question goes. He told the story of when he went to the graveyard where his great grandfather, who was an enslaved person, was buried. He noticed how many of graves had the name, Sharpton. And there it came home to him that his name was that given by the slave owner to the people he enslaved.
That runs deep that each time you write you name or hear your name you know that name was thrust upon you by those who treated you as their property.
Bakari Sellers, a CNN commentator, spoke that justice should be restorative, not performative. This was in reference to the apology issued by the NFL in this last week regarding players who ‘took the knee’ when the National Anthem was being played. Sharpton had referenced this in his eulogy and Sellers was expanding the point, justice needs to restore not just perform.
Not only should Colin Kaepernick get his earnings restored and be reinstituted to his job so too should Black people be compensated for the robbery of their lives.
Best day,
g
