White Woman Wakes Up

White woman fell asleep at the wheel.

She wasn’t driving a car, she was teaching students in Title I communities, falsely assuming she was doing enough. She read the books, had the friends, listened a lot, and figured forward momentum through the tides of racism was fairly universal.

Then George Floyd died and she woke up.

She was ashamed of her slumber and started walking, (marching actually), alongside her children, colleagues and friends. She began listening deeply, beyond the words. And she sought out youth to listen to.

Amara was one of the voices that moved her. In the pouring rain, the white woman’s tears mixed with the tears of heaven. Amara’s voice stirred the soaked crowd, inspiring educators, students, and community members alike, to march forward, one step at a time, snaking through the streets of Beaverton, chanting, “Black Lives Matter” and “Say Their Name.”

Now we are saying her name. And once again our tears mix with the rain.

It is unforgivable that so many died before George Floyd and it is also unforgivable that so many have died after him.

We speak their names. We applaud their courage. We value their precious life and we grieve them while we march on.

Thank you for bringing Amara into this world, for raising her and sharing her with us. Our hearts are with you as you grieve and as you struggle to march forward, one step at a time. Her voice lingers, ever an inspiration.

In the words of Martin Luther King Jr:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”