Opinion
Recently, I had the honor of joining the Race Coalition of Fredericksburg at a beautiful commemoration of Juneteenth – a day of liberation. I reflect on how the day comes in a week that has been marked by a horrific event in Charleston – the ruthless murder of nine innocent people by a racist young man filled with hate and armed with a gun.
This tragedy shakes us to our core, but we have witnessed racially motivated violence before. That sense of fear and horror brings us back to the same question: When will this violence and terror finally end?
I search for words to try to stay uplifted and strong, so I can be an effective witness and an instrument for peace. I struggle with being so angry at this mayhem and the racism that caused it.
Every time I have to drive by that racist flag on I-95, evidence that the evil of racism resides here in our community, I feel this anger. It would be easy to give into it, but Dr. King told us, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Justice will be served. But to drive out the hate that brought this tragedy, we must love one another. I am reminded to keep building the Beloved Community that Dr. King wanted for us all. “The end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the Beloved Community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends … It is this love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of men.”
And so, Juneteenth. A day born of celebration for the righting of a wrong. A day when justice and freedom were finally brought to an enslaved people. A day we can focus on goodwill and understanding, and building our Beloved Community.
I am running for the House of Delegates, and if I am given that honor of representing our community, I will do everything I can to make Juneteenth a state holiday so that our Commonwealth can spend this day working for freedom from fear, and freedom from hate as we build the Beloved Community that we all deserve.
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