STRETCHING WALLS TO NEW VISION

“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it without knowing what’s going to happen next.” –Gilda Radner

A truism from a comedian’s serious view on life to which many of us can relate. The fresh decade of 2020 came in glowing with hope and a clear beginning only to be quickly confronted with an unseen foe— a pandemic leashed upon the world. It was followed by a seen foe of intolerance and distress followed by a wave of protest citing “Black Lives Matter.” Both provoked a response from our home front reaching to distant shores. So much confusion, angst and not knowing.

Society became shuttered, with the earnest prompting that, “We are all in this together.” Many heartened each other with kind words of, “Be safe and be well.” People took to their living rooms with cellphones and computers in hand. Social distancing and donning hygienic masks became the protocol. Essential workers and professionals risked their lives by working on the front lines.

We commandeered life boats against the choppy waves and wind blasts in effort to bail out the seeping waters. Mounting costs surrounded and applied pressure. There were huge limitations on personal freedom, societal ways and means, employment, housing, foodstuffs and loss of lives to Covid-19. Many were becoming disgruntled. No more masks … no more social distancing… no more staying home. There was a great desire to get life back.

And then came the death of George Floyd, a black life that mattered. Heralding social justice, many rallied their power back. Electronic screens witnessed demonstrating individuals seeking a better way. Some engaged in peaceful means. Others promoted violence.

Pondering this situation, I considered a key element cited in the official writings of this country.

*******

Constitution of the United States- Bill of Rights-The First Amendment

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

*******

I remembered such a time some sixty years ago when I was overcome with the social injustice of migrant farm workers. These people endured severe working conditions to put the veggies on our tables as well as their own families. These farmers were downtrodden and discouraged. I felt their pain. I found out as much as I could about them. I read their materials, I talked to their people. Cesar Chavez was the civil rights activist who brought reform for the migrant worker. I was taken by this cause so that I did something I had never down before—I joined the protests. We peaceably assembled to walk the city streets or gather near food chains, handing out pamphlets. All our efforts were done with respect and consideration for others.

I am all for protests. Peaceful ones. By embracing dignified, nonviolent means, Cesar Chavez was able to establish a United Farm Workers Union. In 1975, the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act was passed, protecting the rights of the farmers. Peaceful assemblies drove the laws that exist to this very day.

Our society continues to demand change. Discovering methods to protect and serve every citizen with both impartiality and justice is vital.

The moment has come to welcome in a new vision. We don’t know what will happen next, but it is essential to grasp this moment and make us the better for it. Moving forward, we need to see with one mind, with due respect to race, culture and creed. Realizing it is critical to seek justice for all black lives and initiate change that matters; beginning right now.

… and that’s how I live it.