“It’s Not About the Container” By SimSim K. How my heart hurts; it is sad, saddened, burdened, and confused by the news of at least two brothers, men senselessly assaulted and/or killed in the last three months, but even one life lost in any amount of time, is still one too many. These could have been my cousins, uncles, friends, my father, or a combination of those. They all had a story, they all had a family, they were all somebody’s sons. I’m saddened that racism is rearing its ugly head once again, that it is still rampant, even in 2020, and is affecting people at a younger and younger age. For instance, One of the young men who recently fell prey to the consequences of racism and hatred, Ahmaud Arbery, was 25, which in my view, is still too young. On another occasion, a few months ago, one of my aunts, two uncles, and three of my cousins, saw a young colored boy, no older than thirteen or fourteen, being cuffed and nearly wrestled to the ground, most likely on his way home from school. But why the excessive force, why 3+ cop cars, and why so many police to arrest one kid, barely in his teens? I believe this case was eventually resolved, but it made me wonder why there is so much racism and injustice, not just in the world, but here in America, and, on that day, even in the towns of Gilbert and Mesa. In Kenya, where I spent the first sixth of my life, I grew up acknowledging people for their stories, personalities, and experiences, not giving any thought to the color of their skin. What’s strange is I only started to notice skin tones, and accents, when I came to the U.S. Still, most of the time, those factors didn’t matter much, because I wanted to know the person, regardless of their race. Most of the time, I would gravitate toward people of other races. This started in elementary school, when I, as a six or seven-year-old Kenyan in America, was exposed to Black or African American culture. One would think that I would have fit in well because our skin tones were the same or similar, but that was not the case. The language was the same, but the vocabulary was different, and the attitudes were different from what I expected, or what I knew. It was such a shock, that I decided that particular culture, or at least the particular culture there, at that time, was not for me. Maybe, I had judged this group of people unfairly, because of my previous elementary encounters, (which were my first introductions to African American culture). However, now looking back, and learning more about the struggles of Black Americans, I understand their culture more and understand the reasons for some of their viewpoints. More importantly, I l learned, from, then on, to choose my friends more wisely, and still, regardless of their race. I also learned to understand each individual’s viewpoint, rather than jumping to conclusions, based on what their particular group seemed like. I’m not an expert, by any means, but this, I think, is the key- recognizing that everyone is unique, that every person has a different perspective on life and its various matters, and every story, perspective, and life matters, no matter what color “container” it comes in. We were doing so well, as a nation for a bit, and had made so much progress, so I wonder why the United States of America is reverting to the mistakes of its past? Why is it going back to being the “Divided States of America”? Why is it that there is only liberty and justice for all...who are a certain race, or class, or gender? Why is it that only certain people can pursuit happiness? Why don’t we see others for more than just their skin color? Why don’t we see what talents other people have, and what they can offer one another and offer society, or perhaps, what we can offer them? Why don’t we see other people’s personalities and their qualities? Why don’t we ask how they got to the place they are, at whatever moment we meet them, and take the time to listen? Why don’t we ask if there is anything they need, listen to the answer, and follow through? Why don’t we ask how we can pray for them? Then, again- listen to their responses and follow through. If we, as Americans, of any shade, did this, we would learn so much about our neighbors, coworkers, classmates, acquaintances, and, friends. We would appreciate each other so much more, and would at least slow the spread of misunderstanding, fear, hatred, and peasantry. We really should not go on judging one another based on our containers of black, white, yellow, red, or brown or any other color euphemism used to identify race. Every person is unique and is on this Earth for a reason. It is only our job to encourage one another and to care for others, as we would care for ourselves. It is not our job to judge or condemn others, and it is certainly not our job to play the role of God, deciding whether a person should live or die. Again, I'm not a scholar and am not trying to debate or defend the death penalty, in criminal matters. What I am saying, is, in general, we should not rush into judgments, and we should first and foremost, see others as human beings, at least see and understand their perspective, and take that into account, before taking any serious action, if action even needs to be taken,-sometimes it's not necessary, sometimes it's better to walk away. Either way, we have to relearn the values of decency, respect, compassion, diversity, empathy, & inclusion, practice them, and pass these lessons on. What will we say to the next generation? What will they see? What are they seeing now? What will they learn from us? I hope that if, and when the time comes to have a family of my own, they will learn that it’s not about the container, they, or anyone else, is placed in, but much more about what’s in it.
Woi, Yesu, Dios Mio!
Please help us, as your children to see and also treat our fellow humans the way you see and value us, and especially if we know you, then let us do this so that we can be a reflection of you to those who don't yet know you!
-M T. K, “SimSim”, 28 May 2020
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