Historic times
I tend to keep my politics out of this blog. I don't know why, since I tend to wear my political heart on my sleeve, in real life and in many other Internet forums.
But I could not let this month come to a close without discussing the two stories that have dominated our news. Two stories of love and hate, of our bitter past and our bright future, of flags and symbols ...
The first was the horrific shooting in the Mother Emmanuel Church. When I heard the story, I could not help but wonder if we had stepped back in time to 1965 - a white supremacist killing 9 African Americans in a church. It shocked me, it horrified me.
And yet, the grace of the families of the victims, the strength of that community in the face of such tragedy, is something to be admired.
And then, out of such sadness...we are looking, really looking, at race relations in this country. Ferguson, Baltimore and now Charleston have made us aware that even with an African-American POTUS, we do not live in a post-racist society. We can do better. We must do better.
But at least the flag of the Confederacy is coming down. Yes, I know, for some people, that flag is merely a symbol of Southern pride. But for far too many, it symbolizes racial hatred and oppression. As the president said, it belongs in a museum, not flying over the South Carolina Statehouse.
But rainbow flags abound. My Facebook feed is dripping with happy rainbows.
This weekend we observed the anniversary of Stonewall. On 6/28/1969, the police raided the Stonewall Inn merely because it was a "gay bar". In 1969, homosexuality was considered a psychiatric disorder and homosexual acts were classified as crimes. But as of 6/26/2015, marriage equality is the law of the land. #LoveWins
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
But I could not let this month come to a close without discussing the two stories that have dominated our news. Two stories of love and hate, of our bitter past and our bright future, of flags and symbols ...
The first was the horrific shooting in the Mother Emmanuel Church. When I heard the story, I could not help but wonder if we had stepped back in time to 1965 - a white supremacist killing 9 African Americans in a church. It shocked me, it horrified me.
And yet, the grace of the families of the victims, the strength of that community in the face of such tragedy, is something to be admired.
And then, out of such sadness...we are looking, really looking, at race relations in this country. Ferguson, Baltimore and now Charleston have made us aware that even with an African-American POTUS, we do not live in a post-racist society. We can do better. We must do better.
But at least the flag of the Confederacy is coming down. Yes, I know, for some people, that flag is merely a symbol of Southern pride. But for far too many, it symbolizes racial hatred and oppression. As the president said, it belongs in a museum, not flying over the South Carolina Statehouse.
But rainbow flags abound. My Facebook feed is dripping with happy rainbows.
This weekend we observed the anniversary of Stonewall. On 6/28/1969, the police raided the Stonewall Inn merely because it was a "gay bar". In 1969, homosexuality was considered a psychiatric disorder and homosexual acts were classified as crimes. But as of 6/26/2015, marriage equality is the law of the land. #LoveWins
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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