The following post is one of the best I've ever read concerning the BLM Movement. This is a Facebook post from a childhood friend.

This was too good not to share.

 

 

 

This will be long, but it's absolutely necessary for me to speak. My sweet boy will be turning 13 this year-just 4 more months.  Already, his childlike features are changing as his voice gets deeper, and his body is growing so strong. One thing that hasn't changed is his sweet, sweet spirit. But for sure, he is becoming a young man. And it absolutely scares me to death today. Because you see, he's a young BLACK man. And despite the fact that he has THE sweetest disposition, he has already been falsely accused and targeted - more than once- because of his skin color. I have already in just 4 yrs of him as our son seen racism in ways I never even knew still existed because honestly, it didn't affect me or my child- before Levi. I chose to dismiss it, excuse it, and ignore it. The comments, jokes, insinuations, and the news stories? Those guys were just "thugs" anyway. And that language and attitude made me racist. To say nothing. To do nothing. To make assumptions based on a picture or white media portrayed versions. To not listen. To not consider I might be wrong. To not grieve with our black brothers and sisters over what is happening to them is not okay. To say, "I'm sorry, but...." is not mourning, it's excusing. To instantly look for a reason why a black man deserved to have been killed rather than to first of all, mourn the loss of life and see that maybe, just maybe our country has not progressed in civil rights like we thought. That maybe what we were told happened, didn't happen that way. Maybe what they did out of poverty, ignorance, or fear is NOT okay, but absolutely did not deserve death and probably would not have happened if they were white. To see that maybe even we ourselves have had racist beliefs so long, we didn't even realize we might be racist, cause we don't wear white sheets on our head and "we have black friends." (If you spend more time defending your beliefs and refusing to consider another side, you probably are racist.) If your response to #blacklivesmatter , is an instant shout of #alllivesmatter or #bluelivesmatter you're completely missing it. You see, all lives DO matter, or at least they should. But for years in our country, black lives clearly have not. History proves there is no denial of this. Today still proves this. So the statement of #blacklivesmatter is not to say that only blacklivesmatter....it's to say that black lives matter, TOO! If we truly believe all lives matter, we will rise for justice and fight for the oppressed. We will stop making assumptions based on a man's skin color, neighborhood, facebook pictures, or past. This statement does not mean all police are racist and wrong (Hello, my oldest son is a cop! Of course, I don't believe this. I have great respect and gratitude for this much needed part of a civil society.) This statement also does not mean that I believe every black man is innocent. There have been cases where a black man threatens an officer and points a weapon. Deadly force is sometimes necessary. But what we are seeing more and more is not this. And I cannot imagine or sit still any longer for MY son to become a hashtag. Of course, we will teach him what is right (and trust me - we already have talked through so much of what he is to do with authority. And sadly because he is black, we've had to add a few things we didn't consider with our firstborn white son. No dark clothing at dusk when he's playing with his buds in the neighborhood, no dark hoodies are ever purchased, don't walk through yards like his white friends freely do, don't cut up with your buds in public with your hands making it look like gang signs, but the neighbor complaint about the "black boy staying off her property" when he is always with 3 other white boys was a message loud and clear. ). There will be such a fear when he begins driving, and I can tell him all the right things to do, but what is he to do if the one cop that pulls him over is NOT trustworthy to do his duty? Who does he call for help then? I can see how fear could cause a black man to run for their life. All the more now that this matter is coming to light. I don't know all the answers. Maybe some? Better training in deadly force, better protocols, and most of all our country needs to examine our hearts. Oh, that we would ask GOD to search our hearts and see if there is ANYTHING offensive. That we might humble ourselves before God and acknowledge and confess sin, maybe sin we didn't even realize was there. That we might shut up with our insistence of being right and become listeners to people of color. Ann Voskamp said it well: "The world needs compassionate people to sit down & listen long enough to quietly realize they had some of it wrong." That we might seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. I cannot sit on the sidelines any longer because I am now in the battle. I am here to fight - on my knees in prayer first and foremost. But also with my words and actions. I don't even know what that looks like, but I'm here. And I'm not gonna be quiet anymore, so go on and delete or hide me. I am NOT okay with what is happening! #blacklivesmatter

A lot of truth in that post.

Wow. Fantastic. My favorite part was that we need to listen to what people of color have to say. Too much of what we do is trying to shut it down.