A Wall of Division - A Spark of Change

(from a brown-skinned son)

George Floyd’s Portrait on the Berlin Wall

As Regina’s son, I am a guest in this space, but I hope that you will read this reflection with an open mind and heart, taking from it what you must. I write now purely per personal perspective and my own intimate understanding of the events and surrounding context of an unarmed black man being killed by a police officer mere blocks from my old home. Certain descriptions may be considered graphic - acknowledging this, I invite you to continue.

A year ago to this day, George Floyd was killed on the corner of E 38th St. and Chicago Ave.

An unarmed black man with a knee on his neck for nine minutes, 29 seconds.

Reflecting on personal feelings of May 25th, 2020…

Anger... confronted visually with the physical manifestation of the highest form of injustice - a life being forcibly taken by one assigned to protect it.

Helplessness... What could a man like me do to impact such an issue?

Disappointment… Disappointed that I lived in a place where this had seemingly been “allowed” to happen.

Confusion… Unsure what to do with my energy… Confusion as to why there was still any form of debate. Could we not finally come to consensus that something was simply wrong?

Concern… What would come next? Were my loved ones in the city safe? What would I expect when next confronted by an officer?

The nature of this devastating incident sparked a fire across the country and around the world like few we have felt the heat of. The heat of public pain, fear, outrage, shame, and love spilled over into manifestations that cracked our melting pot along its already trembling ridges.

Let’s be clear, these ridges were hitherto trembling not by way of new and unprecedented aggravations. Our country itself was built upon the backs of brown women and men, and the jagged seams of racial division are those of a society still healing from its segregated past.

And so, how to heal…

Blessed as I am to now call Berlin (Germany) my home, a city and country that has sought its own healing from past tragic events, I have continued to walk with an open ear to those around me…

A mural of George Floyd adorns the wall that once divided people of this city (Berlin Mauerpark)

A sport complex near the Berlin Hauptbahnof (main train station) now bears his name.

I believe these dedications to be beyond remembrances of a single man and a solitary violent incident, but rather symbols of the global necessity to address the inequalities that have formed the foundation for modern society. This image has transformed the Berlin Wall - an international symbol of division and oppression - into a place of awareness and resolution.

Healing through:

Education… Empathy… Love…

I understand answers to reside in history - it has offered me countless instances of increased ease through a logical attribution of why things are the way they are in our world… I believe we each have a responsibility to educate ourselves on what has happened throughout the creation and development of our nation up until today - this education can already begin to answer many of the questions I have heard about the roots of our racial tensions.

Furthermore, without an ability to put ourselves in the shoes of others and empathize with a lived reality, there will be no progress.

Finally, living in love is inherently giving and empathetic. Love cannot coexist with stagnation in the face of injustice. Love is not selective - rather it seeks unity and achievement of well-being for all.

George Floyd, like me and like you, was not perfect, and that takes absolutely nothing away from the unjust atrocity that has left his daughter fatherless.

Prayers for his loved ones.

Courage to those embarking on this path to a better, more equal, more unified world.

To Repair Our Lives - Remembering George Floyd from Berlin

A Wall of Division - A Spark of Change