By Sheryl Lilly Pidgeon | goodlifefamilymag.com
As a Jewish mother, navigating the challenges of raising my children in a predominantly non-Jewish environment has not been easy. Our historical experiences of persecution are well known, and discussions about the Holocaust and various injustices fill our home. I have taught my children—now young adults—to be active participants against injustice and to understand that standing by as a bystander makes one complicit. The Hebrew phrase Tikkun Olam, which means “repair the world,” embodies the idea of social action and the quest for social justice. My family has been deeply saddened and angered by the murder of George Floyd and the ongoing racial inequalities and injustices that have persisted in our nation for generations.
We stand in solidarity with the Black community, who continue to endure suffering at the hands of a racist and unjust system. A criminal is a criminal, and those in authoritative positions must be held to even higher standards of accountability due to the trust placed in them.
As a member of the board for the ADL, an organization dedicated to combating hate and founded in 1913, I am able to pursue my lifelong commitment to contributing to solutions for these societal issues.
Our nation is in mourning. George Floyd—a father, brother, and friend to many—is gone. His horrific murder, captured on video, was shocking. I must admit that when I first saw it, I struggled to comprehend the reality of what I was witnessing. It was hard to believe my own eyes because acknowledging it would mean confronting a level of evil that is nearly unimaginable.
We need to be alert to the pervasive hate and bigotry that exists in our country and across the globe. We can each take action in various ways: whether it’s keeping up with the news, educating ourselves, donating to necessary causes, guiding a younger person, signing petitions, being upstanders, or voting.
As a journalist and, even more so, as a mother, I feel compelled to amplify messages of hope and unity. I want to contribute to this pivotal moment in history by helping to reshape America and advocating for not just what is, but what should be. Change will not be easy, and I recognize my own small role in the larger picture, but I am committed to the cause.
In the words of Elie Wiesel, whom I had the honor of hosting for a speaking event in Dallas in the late 1980s, “One person of integrity can make a difference.”
When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy… Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must—at that moment—become the center of the universe.
— Elie Wiesel
Systemic Racism: An Excerpt from ADL
Racism is defined as: “the marginalization and/or oppression of people of color based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges white people.” Racism is evident in many areas of our lives and society: in interpersonal interactions, through discriminatory policies and practices, in biased language, and within our laws and institutions (such as education, media, employment, government, and the criminal justice system).
Many view George Floyd’s death as a manifestation of systemic racism, highlighting how race places individuals of color at a disadvantage within the criminal justice system. African American and Latinx men are overrepresented at every stage of the criminal justice process, from arrest to sentencing to death row. Research indicates that African Americans are 2.5 times more likely to be killed by police than white individuals.
How Hate and Bias Escalate
On the same day George Floyd was killed, another event unfolded in Central Park, New York City. Christian Cooper, an African American man, was birdwatching when he encountered a dog that was not on a leash. He requested the dog’s owner, Amy Cooper (unrelated), a white woman, to leash her dog, as park rules dictate. When she refused to comply, he started recording her. In retaliation, Amy Cooper claimed she would call the police, saying, “I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life” while pulling out her phone to dial 911.
Though these two incidents may seem disconnected, they both highlight a crucial point: unchecked hate and bias can escalate and have dire consequences.
The Pyramid of Hate illustrates how biased attitudes and actions increase in complexity from the bottom to the top. Like a pyramid, the upper levels rely on the foundational lower levels, making it increasingly challenging to address and dismantle as the behaviors intensify. Bias at any level adversely affects individuals, institutions, and society. When bias is ignored, it becomes “normalized” and contributes to a culture that accepts discrimination, hate, and injustice.
Amy Cooper’s anger and bias led her to threaten Christian Cooper by leaning on the biases she believed the police would hold when describing him as an African American man. This situation could have escalated dramatically if police had arrived and confronted Christian Cooper. The dangerous cycle of escalating hate and bias has tragically led to the violence and deaths of George Floyd and countless others.
Mission of NAACP
The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to secure political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all individuals.
Objectives
- To ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of all citizens
- To achieve equality of rights and eliminate racial prejudice among the citizens of the United States
- To remove all barriers of racial discrimination through democratic means
- To pursue the enactment and enforcement of federal, state, and local laws that secure civil rights
- To raise public awareness of the harmful effects of racial discrimination and to work towards its elimination
- To educate individuals about their constitutional rights and pursue all lawful actions to secure those rights, as well as any other lawful actions that align with the NAACP’s Articles of Incorporation and Constitution.
