We all have our talents, and there’s nothing more gratifying than using them to help others. So I was thrilled when my friend Rodney Cook, CFP asked me to polish a piece he had written in response to the events that kicked off the Black Lives Matter movement.
The article titled “Let’s Celebrate Our Differences” shares his very personal reaction to George Floyd’s murder and the deaths of Black individuals at the hands of whites that preceded George’s. “As the Black father of a Black son, this has all been profoundly and disturbingly personal,” he wrote.
Reading Rodney’s article helped me understand just how disturbing these events have been on a viscerally personal level to so many people of color. After describing how the news shook him so much that he was barely able to function, he explains the emotions that prompted him to sob multiple times a day and be physically sick.
“I realized that this was no longer about fearing for myself, but for my 15-year-old son. How do I explain to him that he may be treated differently or even killed for the color of his skin? How will I be able to protect him? I pray that he never has to feel the anger and fear that I have over the last couple of months, but the reality is that he already has, and he will in the future. Racial injustice may be less of a factor for some, but that is not a luxury that my family or I have.”
I would urge you to read Rodney’s message for yourself. It is as beautifully written as it is gut-wrenching. And it will give you ideas about how to reach out to your friends of color.
In the end, the answer related what we need to do seems to be so obvious, it’s hard to believe that it needs to be said. But clearly, it does. So I’ll let Rodney close this out.
“We must continue to fight for racial equality. This begins by choosing every day to be compassionate toward — and understanding of — others. We must recognize that we are all one race, the human race. We must meet each other where we are. This is not about choosing sides. There are no sides when our fellow human beings, our brothers and sisters, are not being treated equally.”
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