Editorial: It’s time to make that turn to become a better society

The death of George Floyd has launched a campaign that has been long brewing in our society. The oppression of minorities, whether it’s African Americans, Latinos, Indigenous People, Women, or any other that fall into this category, has been the unfortunate basis of the founding of the United States.

The past week has been filled with sadness and dismay as Floyd lost his life in an act of violence that was completely unwarranted. From there, peaceful protests in response to Floyd’s death were infiltrated by individuals and groups of people looking to use the Black Lives Matter as a cover-up for the events. These individuals are taking a movement of awareness and hope, transforming it into one of greed and chaos for personal gain.

I guess it is time to deep dive into my mindset. Yes, it upsets me that even after hundreds of years, minorities are still looked at as “second-fiddle” to society. There are no excuses for that. But when individuals and organizations take advantage of these minorities when they are trying to do the right thing to bring awareness of situations, that irks me just a little bit more.

As I said in one of my earlier editorials that dealt with racism, I am blessed to be blind to the sense of who people are to a certain extent. I have friends of all different races, ethnicities, gender identifications, sexual orientations, religious backgrounds, and more. I respect these people and I support them for their beliefs. I work with student-athletes of all different shapes and sizes, backgrounds, and history to offer each of them opportunities to be successful in life. For the last 17 years, these children have become young adults who are impacting this world.

The actions of the officers in Minneapolis is not a reflection on our law enforcement officers and emergency workers. We should not condemn those who sacrifice their lives to keep us safe due to the individual actions of a person who committed a heinous deed. They are people like us and in this instance completely understand how us as a society feel about Floyd’s passing.

The Black Lives Matter was a protest. They are protesters of all colors looking to bring out the good from a negative situation. Those who infiltrated the organized event and committed crimes are the rioters. These are two completely different groups, so lumping them together as one entity is not correct.

We are taught right and wrong from an early age. If a person’s life is taken because of their ethnicity or color of their skin, something that they cannot control, then that is wrong. If a person breaks into a business because of who owns it, they are wrong. Right is right and wrong is wrong, no matter what person is involved in it, their race, their gender, or their background. Right and wrong are taught, just like racism and prejudice.

Many people who were not physically involved in the protests were hurt by the actions of others. Family-owned businesses are suffering today. People cannot get to work due to transportation being shut down. Employees are unable to work because the business they work at has been looted, robbed, or burned to a point where it is unsafe to enter.

For us as human beings, it is time for us to pull together as a united front. I saw a great analogy in a post from one of my friends on social media. He said that it does not matter if you are on the right wing or the left wing, you are still on the bird. And if both wings do not work together, the bird will not fly.

Leadership is not a position about power. It is a position about responsibility. It does not matter if you are at the federal level, state level, local level, the president of a local organization’s chapter, or at the front of the line to get lunch, you have a responsibility. If you are not taking your responsibility seriously to the point where it hurts and harms more people, then it is time to move on. Even I had to relinquish a position in leadership so that those behind me could grow, and it worked. That is the acknowledgement of someone who wants to see growth and change and not selfishness.

To everybody out there, please be kind to one another. Share love and not hatred towards each other. The best way to build each other up is to tear down the walls that keep us divided. Those walls are prejudice, hatred, racism, and inequality. It is time for a new and stronger foundation.