Why social justice? Why healthy re-entry options? Because before there was a #GeorgeFloyd there was #DarrylHunt and he told us, and nobody listened. The police did not kill him, our silent indifference did. Our souls tone deaf to the pain of brothers and sisters because “that’s not my…”.
My mans said he was innocent and because he cried in solitary in muted bass tones, it was easy for us to ignore. His accusers sang in a high treble soprano chorus so loudly we were intimidated. Anyway, it sounded good. It sat right with our spirit. It got the world back to normal. We were willing to sacrifice one man to get back to normal. What about when one becomes one million? Where do we stop?
Why social justice? Because social silence let my man die in a shopping center parking lot, alone, of a self inflicted gunshot wound.
Not why social justice, but why NOT social silence? Lift EVERY voice and sing. Every voice friends. Til earth and heaven ring. Well the phones lines of earth and heaven have been lighting up for far too long from the cries of the indifferents. I’m calling now. I’ll hold… “Hello. This is Sista Number 34384-057 and I have a message. My mans wanted to let you know that it’s a war going on outside no man is safe from. Oh yeah, I’ll hold. Yeah, you can transfer me. I got time. Is help on the way though? I’ll just have a cup of hot, strong, burn the back of your throat, put hair on your chest while I wait. Yeah, He can call me back. Tell him Queen Coffee Bean is calling.”
Ring, ring, ring. Yeah, that’s the sound of liberty calling me back. Not why social justice, but why not social silence. Because the only way to save every man is to save every man, one man at a time.
Peace
Claudia L. Shivers 