My heart goes out to every Black mother that has lost their child due to the color of their skin.
Being Puerto Rican, I experienced being called an ‘alien’ and was constantly questioned about my legal status while growing up in this country. But I didn’t have to worry about safety in my everyday life. Sadly, many do.
You might think, “but Rebeca, stop, we are tired of talking about this.” Well, in my opinion, it’s time to get uncomfortable. You may not feel like talking about this, but let’s reverse the roles. If you lost your child, you would do anything you could to further the conversation and the education.
Last month, I attended a Professional Development seminar on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and it was incredible. Dr. King was known for peacefully protesting, but his words were so powerful. We read Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter from a Birmingham jail. If you haven’t read it, please do. In the letter, Dr. King responded to the injustices occurring in Alabama and across the South. He was tired of it and advocating for change.
So what can we do?
Use your power for good.
“Sometimes a law is just on its face and unjust in its application.” -Dr. MLK Jr.
Bring attention to problems in your community and across the nation. Share reliable and factually correct news articles on social media. Go to your local town hall meetings and advocate for change. Encourage your employer to have professional development days focused on racial equity.
Get uncomfortable.
Growth doesn’t come from comfort. We do not evolve as mothers by having our children act the same way every day. Our children will have meltdowns and personality changes and we learn how to adapt to that. We have to do the same with real-life issues in the world.
Make a commitment to continually learn over your entire lifetime.
It is so vital and important to educate ourselves. Listen to your Black friends, neighbors, and community members. You may not personally understand, but we can make sure they are seen and heard.
Speak up.
I speak up when I see something wrong. If you ever pull your child aside when they do something wrong or misbehave, do the same to your fellow family members, friends, or even strangers. Again, growth cannot happen when we are comfortable and living life at a steady pace. Get uncomfortable and speak up for injustice.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere… Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly…Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.” -Dr. MLK Jr.
Remember the mothers that have lost their children. I, for one, don’t want to stay silent anymore.
