Over the last week, protesting and riots have started around the world in attempts to end police brutality. On Monday, May 25th, George Floyd was tragically killed by a police officer who refused to remove his knee from Mr. Floyd’s neck even after he had been detained and was not a threat to the officers. As the citizens of Minneapolis pleaded with the four officers to get off of him and check his pulse, they were threatened with mace if they did not step away from the officers.
After this tragic event occurred, many people started protesting police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement was in full swing. Some of the protests became violent, and this caused the attention to shift from the Black Lives Matter movement to stopping the riots and looting. In all of this, people have been left wondering where do we go from here? How can we help all of our people of color overcome these unnecessary obstacles? What can be done to make sure people feel they do not need to continue to riot and loot?
The answers to these questions are unclear, but there will need to be multiple things done in order to enact the change that the world needs right now. It would seem there would need to be proper political figures to be elected, as well as people realizing that the mentality of “an eye for an eye,” truly does only leave the whole world blind.
The question remains, what can be done right now? What is something I can start doing today to incite the change the world desperately needs? I think that answer may be simpler than we think.
Start today by teaching your children to love everyone. Remind them often that just because someone looks different than they do, doesn’t mean they are a bad person or someone they should automatically fear. Teach them to make friends with everyone, regardless of the color of their skin. If you notice your children having a bias or prejudice (because this does happen whether you want it to or not), point it out to your children and let them know what needs to be done to change that and keep everyone equal. Tell your children to defend those in need, especially if there is someone being racist; remind them to defend people of color.
No one should have to go through life with disadvantages due simply to the color of their skin. Children need to be taught from a young age that love, respect, compassion, and kindness are the best qualities that a person can possess and they will get much further in life if they keep those qualities close to their hearts.
I truly believe if we teach our children these things, it will not only help in the Black Lives Matter movement, but also in helping end domestic violence. If we instill these good qualities in our children now, they will apply them to all areas in life for decades to come. The only way we can change the future is to change the way our future generations think. So I challenge you to start a conversation today, even if it may seem scary or hard to have; in the end, it will help so many lives.
If you or anyone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please call us at 501-354-1884, our hotline at 1-888-554-2501, or our Perryville office at 501-889-2030.
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