A Prayer for the Panther

Last night I wrote a Facebook post that was very personal for me. The Mother of two of my students, an alumna of the school I teach at, shared a very simple drawing and I was floored.

The words.  There was a rushing feeling, so urgent I could not think.  Tap-pity tap tap tap and I posted it. (but I spell checked! I’m quite sloppy!)

But then I cried. And I am still crying.

I was writing to my black friends and white friends of every derivation. I was writing to every person I have ever known and to every person I will ever know.  I was writing for my past self, present self, and the uncertain self that is far in the future waiting for me.

And so I think this was a prayer.

I am grateful to this mother and her two daughters for having inspired me so.  The smallest thing can be a trigger for the true human spirit to emerge.

It went like this:

Such a sad and terrible feeling to know the truth of this statement. The horror my Black American friends must endure. It is a bitter and shameful thing and I hate it.

And tonight, on a night when a tremendous talent—a superhero–died so young as to almost SEEM unnatural. Heartbreaking.

Black Friends, I just want to say I am with you and I love you and I am so very sorry for your suffering. I pledge to do my utmost to stop it.

And White friends. I love you as I love myself. But there are those of us who believe TERRIBLE things. There are those of us who KNOW people who believe terrible things. We cannot let this pass.

Lord, Help us see the error of our ways. Show us a path forward.

For if we felt for the briefest moment the terrible fear and anxiety AMERICAN LIFE must produce in Black Americans, young and old, we’d be brought to our two knees.

And yet our Black friends take only ONE.

To take a knee is sign of the strength and courage and justice. But taking a knee is also a gesture of one who seeks forgiveness. As it is also, thankfully, a gesture of one who proposes marriage.

Strength, courage, justice, forgiveness and love.

Quite simple, really.