On this day...

I really love the "On this Day" feature on Facebook, where you can see what you posted on the same day years ago. I'm really sentimental and often nostalgic, so I love to reminisce on stuff from the past and reflect on what has changed since then...

...Except for today, when I read my post from 11/25/2014, which brought a tear to my eye. It was about Mike Brown's murder and the Ferguson riots. It just suddenly hit me that 365 days later, we as a country are far more divided than even one year ago. The fight for justice and equality has not seen any progress. If anything, we are going backwards. Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray, and countless others have joined the list of people who have lost their lives for absolutely no reason. Donald Trump has spread false stereotypes and bigotry towards Latinos and the working class, and amazingly, he actually has full fledge support from many. Discrimination against Muslims is at an all time high. Hatred for homosexuals and gay marriage is rampant. Transgender people even got to see people's true feelings about them come out when Caitlyn Jenner's transition was revealed. The media has made everything worse by not covering positive stories like the Million Man March or pivotal moments like the horrifying shooting of a historic black church in Charleston, meanwhile twisting stories around and manipulating the truth for shock value. People have actively spoken out against the entire #blacklivesmatter movement because they still somehow cannot acknowledge that racism exists, that our system is broken, and that privileged people don't do enough about it; even after peaceful protesters were shot just days ago by white supremacists in Minnesota. And now, we turn our back on refugees fleeing for their lives. ALL of this happened in the last year. I really can't wrap my brain around it. I have never been more hopeless about this country than now.

So this Thanksgiving, I hope those of you who are not burdened by these (and MANY other) events are very thankful. If you don't have to worry about being killed by police or seeing your son lie dead in the street, you're truly blessed. If you aren't treated like a second class citizen, consider yourself lucky. If you aren't regularly judged based on your religion, race, ethnicity, social class, or sexual orientation, you should be very grateful. If your family members are alive and you have a home to celebrate this holiday in, you're doing better than many. But that doesn't mean that this isn't a reality for millions of other people. We live in the best country in the world and we should all be thankful to be here, but we have work to do and us being divided is not helping. So yes, my heart is heavy yet again and yours should be too. 

The most admirable human trait in my opinion is empathy, the ability to put yourself in the shoes of others and feel compassion for them. Imagine if we all said a prayer to make things better, how much love, positive energy and blessings we could send to people in need. Even if you won't take a stand and speak out against wrongdoing and unjust events, please consider praying that this country improves and unites. 

XOXO ❤️

Baltimore Riots

I wrote this post for my Facebook on April 27th, 2015. I will never forget this day. It was the day when the nation watched in horror as the city of Baltimore was rioted and looted due to the outrage over the murder of Freddie Gray at the hands of the Baltimore City Police Department. As many know, I lived, worked, and attended college in Baltimore from ages 16-22 and this had a profound impact on my life. Making friends with, living next door to and regularly interacting with citizens of this very unfortunate city allowed me to understand a new perspective so foreign for me, though only 20-30 miles away from where I grew up. Here I witnessed struggle, racism and oppression up close and personal. So when I saw shit hit the fan on national TV and the people of Baltimore villainized and condemned, I was absolutely crushed. What bothered me the most was the stark differences of what was reported by the media and fed to the masses, versus what people I knew personally were reporting via social media. I was in tears and severely upset, all made worse by the extremely ignorant comments I was hearing from coworkers at work and friends/family via social media. The lack of empathy and the distortion and manipulation tactics used by the media truly just had me fed up. I usually try to stay away from social debates or any political sides, and keep my Facebook pretty squeaky clean. But no. This time and I had to speak out and post my unpopular opinion in the hope of opening even one set of eyes. So I posted some real photos of Baltimore (shocking but the exact sights I drove by all the time as a Baltimore resident) and a passionate rant, as follows…..

Let's not forget that these pictures are what the streets of Baltimore looked like before all these riots. Absolutely devastating and depressing. The exact opposite of what this country is known for and proud of. It's no exaggeration because I personally lived in the midst of it myself for years. Regardless of your opinions, PLEASE just try to imagine being born and raised here, into this kind of struggle that is found to be entertaining to the world via a hit HBO series, yet is still an everyday reality for many citizens of Baltimore. Their politicians have been corrupt for how long? The murder rate has been at the top of the national list for how long? An already failing education system keeps getting cut for how long? The poverty rate has been ridiculous for how long? Boarded up houses have lined countless blocks for how long? Racism from the police force that is supposed to serve & protect them (which I have witnessed firsthand) is common for how long.... ??????????? How the hell are they supposed to succeed??? And how hopeless would YOU feel??? You have to understand that many people from this city have a different mindset because of the environment they've grown up in, one that most of us are fortunate enough that we can't even begin to relate to. The city is pretty much still segregated. Drugs and crime in their neighborhood are a normal part of life. Everyone has experienced some form of racism, and police brutality is just accepted. How is this okay? There is a lot of poverty in the U.S. that we turn a blind eye to but to be quite frank, this city is like no other in our nation, and the rest of the state and country has turned their back on Baltimore. And if you don't agree, then please tell me you would go live on one of these blocks in the pictures above and call that HOME. You wouldn't? Oh. Maybe because it already looked like a warzone or a third world country to begin with. Well imagine having no choice because that's where you grew up. Maybe now you can understand why some people are not behaving rationally, because they've never even been given a fair chance. I'm just trying to find a way to paint this picture clear for you.

Now let me make this clear, I don't condone violence, nor do I agree with harming innocent people or destroying communities at all! I believe it's gone too far, and will only accomplish more harm than good. But instead of condemning, I choose to at least try to understand their perspective on why they're outraged. The statistics are astounding. The odds are just not in the favor of black men, and there's no denying it. The black community was already systemically designed to fail, and yet has come a long way and seen so much progress, only to be totally discouraged every time one of their own is unjustly slaughtered at the hands of those they're supposed to trust the most. So yes, people of all races across the nation are getting fed up by seeing black men killed by law enforcement as a regular occurrence, and rightfully so. This boiling point was inevitable regardless of the very sad Freddie Gray situation. When it happens in Baltimore, a city that's already facing more than its share of problems and whose system has truly failed its people in EVERY WAY, yes you can expect things to get out of hand. People are lashing out because their voice is not taken seriously, so yes it got out of control... But don't let the media blind you to only acknowledge the unfortunate actions of some, when so many more are working peacefully to fight for justice and equality. Because believe me there is just as much evidence that tens of thousands are doing things the right way and trying to make a difference. But that never gets the same media attention, so it never gets them very far, does it? Sadly it never even gets much attention until things get this extreme and violent.

Again, all I'm trying to say is there is so much more to the picture than most of you realize if you've never lived in Baltimore or any other city like it. You say "these people" are destroying their city but it's honestly already been destroyed for years. If you have never had to worry about your child being racially profiled and possibly killed then you have no right to judge people fighting to end what they have to actually live every day. Being a person of mixed race, I have to say that most of us are so unbelievably lucky that we don't get racially profiled, and if we are arrested we WILL get a fair trial as promised by our constitutional rights, unlike some others who never got the chance because they're freaking DEAD. When did we lose value for human life, regardless of race? How can we stand by and let this go on? Some people just don't get it because they will never know how privileged they are or have to experience what it feels like to be discriminated against. The ignorant comments I've seen today on both sides shows me how divided everyone is and will always be, it's heartbreaking. I see both sides and as anyone who knows me knows, I am a huge supporter of our amazing heroes in law enforcement and the military. But I do think plenty who are granted power abuse it and that we need to stand up to this more often to make it right! This country was founded upon a spirit of revolution for basic freedoms and rights, and our system is supposed to be one of democracy and justice. In fact, rioting for these values is what actually led to this country's formation in the first place. So at this point if you still can't acknowledge that it's time for change then you're part of the problem. Anyone who can see right for wrong should be able to get this and empathize. I have friends of all races and ethnicities who fight passionately to spread this and open people's eyes, and I usually try to stay out of it. But this time, I had to open my mouth so excuse the long rant. As this quote I read today so beautifully summarizes it, "People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character." All I want you to think about is, if it were happening to you how would you feel?