Editorial: It’s time to understand each other instead of judging people for their beliefs
Charles City and New Kent are phenomenal communities. However, our communities aren’t perfect.
Despite there being several opportunities to communicate and voice concerns, some people elect not to take on the issues in the foreground. Instead, they choose to navigate in the shadows to initiate uproar and confusion.
Speaking with my employee Robb Johnson, he received an email from a person complaining about pictures that he took at the ‘One New Kent’ Unity Walk. That email accused him of a one-sided depiction of the event. While I cannot confirm the exact origins of the email, it may have come from a person out-of-state at the time due to some research that I did.
When people infiltrate our counties with negativity, it’s very painful to experience and view. We all want to read about the positive things going on in the world. However, there will be those who want to start chaos.
It’s hard to see people not understand that ‘Black Lives Matter’ doesn’t mean ‘Only Black Lives Matter’. The movement is one that is being used to bring knowledge to others the struggles and oppression faced by the African-American communities. When the Declaration of Independence was signed, it wasn’t true when it says, “All Men are Created Equal.” Only certain groups were favored.
The next thing that comes up is the rebuttal that “All Lives Matter.” Yes, all lives do matter but if you don’t understand the purpose of the movement, then you missed the point entirely.
Blue Lives Matter because there are law enforcement officers who are honest in their position of power who risk their lives every day to serve and protect us. Gay/Lesbian/Transgender Lives matter because they are often judged for who they love and discriminated by both people and the law for equal rights. Native American Lives matter because they were the original stewards of this land who had it taken away from them and still fight to even receive federal recognition over property that is rightfully theirs. Immigrant lives matter because they come to America to start a new life and escape oppression whether it’s from the land itself or it’s from leaders of those countries.
And yes, White Lives Matter. There are some people who understand the reason for the Black Lives Matter movement and I thank you for that. That movement is about equality and gaining knowledge of how some groups struggle more than others because of their social and economic standing when they were born in the world. I’m not saying that all Caucasian people are born in the best circumstances. I’m saying that some cannot relate to what the other movements are going through. Keyword: “Some.”
If I missed anybody with my, “Lives Matter” rant, I apologize. It has just been weighing heavily on my mind with the criticism that there are some people who choose not to understand. Those are the people to worry about.
My rant is over. I’ll probably get criticized by a lot of people on this post. But everybody’s life does matter. Stop criticizing and judging a person for their beliefs. Instead, understand and try to see their viewpoint. When that happens, that is what we call a cultural phenomenon.