8 minutes 46 seconds and 100,000
On this Juneteenth holiday, I am thinking about one duration and one number. We are living through two colliding viral crises that are changing the world. The Memorial Day Holiday in 2020 will be forever marked in history with this duration and this number. On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by a police officer’s knee on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, while the officer casually had his hand in his pocket. Then, three days later, on May 28th, the Covid-19 pandemic reached 100,000 deaths in the United States. This is an unthinkable loss of life in three short months, with many potentially preventable, and the number keeps growing. Floyd’s murder was a tipping point, as a pandemic and the resultant economic damage was already disproportionally raging through black and brown communities. Enough is enough. This last straw incident incited outrage and protest by all races. Unfortunately, the pandemic raised the stakes for protesting to the highest level. One is literally putting one’s life at risk. Yet the outrage and convulsing pain is inconsolable. The power in this moment is that action is not being compelled but inspired. There is no super-PAC or corporation pulling strings. The spontaneous combustion of people outraged has inspired protests like we have never seen. On their own, millions of people across all 50 states have marched and demonstrated. The diversity of the protestors lets you know this is something different, something unprecedented. Now at twenty-four straight days of protest and civil unrest, with millions risking their lives, it is clear this injustice has touched a nerve. And it has spread worldwide.
Racism
Racism is and has been for some time, a smoldering health and wealth crisis. The racism virus has been ravaging the black community for over 400 years. It seems for every step forward, reactive racism pushes us two steps back. It is a daily struggle for black Americans to achieve health and wealth, two fundamental prerequisites for living a full life. Health disparities are not new and despite activity over the years, nothing much has changed. The infant mortality rate is twice the rate for whites. The rates of premature death due to stroke and coronary heart disease, the number one cause of death in America, is higher for black Americans. So from cradle to grave, blacks are dying at higher rates. And in recent years there has been an alarming increase in preventable deaths of black mothers while giving birth. Black mothers are 2–3 times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than whites. The wealth gap is as severe as it was in 1968. A recent examination showed a staggering racial disparity. At $171,000, the net worth of a typical white family is nearly ten times greater than that of a Black family ($17,150) in 2016. How would someone’s life change if they could 10x their current wealth? And what if all of their friends had a similar level of wealth? Black Americans have been set up for failure from birth to death.
How does this occur in a society where the declaration that “every man is created equal” was the rallying cry at the seminal moments of the creation of America? Obviously, the devaluing and contempt for black lives began with slavery. Racism, like the pandemic virus, is a stubborn problem. To reduce the transmission of Covid-19 we put in place the extreme measure of shutting down the economy and sheltering in place. As a result, we stopped the most egregious methods of transmission, super-spreader events. But Covid-19 is still spreading and killing, just at a slower pace and more underground. In the same way, the racism virus has not been eradicated in over 400 years. We may have eliminated the most egregious expressions, such as lynchings and Jim Crow, but black Americans deal with its subtle and underground manifestations every day. Most black Americans have experienced different versions and levels of racism their entire lives. For an eloquent depiction of how racism manifests, watch James White’s “50 years of racism — why silence isn’t the answer”, Ted talk. The subtle tactics of systemic racism are delays, excessive questioning, excuses, doubting, discounting, and outright lies, consciously or unconsciously, intended to keep black folks in their place, separate and behind. When faced with someone of color in almost any situation, negative inferences, assumptions, and conclusions are made that would not be made if this person’s skin was white. You are presumed guilty until proven innocent. When the majority owns most of the machinery of capitalism, this is a heavy burden of proof to overcome to gain access to opportunities.
Most have given up hope of achieving equity and justice in our society. Many have resigned themselves to the conditions and simply strive to survive. You learn to pick your battles because every day is going to be a battle, whether subtle or obvious. It’s always there and you have to always be on guard. Racism is not a random event. It is a process that exists on purpose, even if unconscious. While most of America reacts with disbelief and horror at the killing of George Floyd, most black Americans, sadly, are not surprised. Black males in particular know the injustices experienced, personally or vicariously, at the hands of the police. As an indication of how widespread and pervasive this attitude is in the police culture, incidents continue to happen despite the intense scrutiny after the Floyd murder. Why would a policeman shoot an unarmed, fleeing, black man in the back? They had his license and his car. Where was he going to go that they could not find him? He was a family man with a wife of eight years and 3 kids trying to get and keep his life on track. After shooting him down, the policeman uttered the words “I got him” like he had just shot an animal on safari. He performed the ultimate escalation. He determined that he would be judge, jury, and executioner for another human being’s life. Rayshard Brooks is another name added to the long list of unarmed black men killed by police. To be clear, police provide a critical and necessary service. Most officers have dedicated their lives to service and have navigated the most challenging of circumstances to do the right thing every single time. However, a dysfunctional tribal culture is what enables bad apples to exist and survive.
Tribalism
One thing that is for sure, divisive tribalism is not the solution. Tribalism is the behavior and attitudes that stem from strong loyalty to one’s own tribe or social group. Tribalism is not necessarily bad, but pathological tribalism based on arbitrary factors is a root cause of many of society’s ills. This type of tribalism not only encourages conflict over petty matters but also looking the other way. As long as it is not affecting your tribe, who cares. This type of behavior is enabled by lies, deception, and a type of mass hypnosis that blinds members to the atrocities of their own behavior. This is unfortunately a common thread throughout history. Tribalism is what enabled Hitler. Tribalism is what allows gangs to exist and police to act like a gang. Absolute loyalty to the tribe and no snitching is required above and beyond one’s humanity. An article in the New York magazine by Andrew Sullivan states “America Wasn’t Built for Humans”. It makes the point that tribalism was an urge our Founding Fathers assumed we could overcome, but instead, divisive tribalism has become our greatest vulnerability.
The Rosa Parks bravery and defiance of that teenager who stood there, defending her right, in America, to record this atrocity, may have changed the world. For 8 minutes and 46 seconds, she captured a horrific act of man’s inhumanity to man. She forced us all to look, and see an example of what black folks have been experiencing and talking about for generations. This revolution will be televised, and we have to stop looking the other way. It’s ironic that “United” is in the very name of our country. That is what is supposed to distinguish us from any other country in the world. We believe in e Pluribus Unum, a tribe built upon higher values. In American, we are all supposed to be one tribe, not based on inconsequential things like national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religious background, but based on a belief and an allegiance to this grand idea of the American Dream. A bigger, all-encompassing tribe aligned around a vision of the pursuit of great things that we all want as humans. Immigrating to America is supposed to be a transformative event that gives you access to opportunities that are not found anywhere else in the world. And it has been so for many families over many generations. The contributions of immigrants have built this country, particularly the free labor of slaves. Yet the division sowed over 400 years ago continues to fester. Divisive tribalism allows racism to grow, fester, and manifest in systemic and unconscious ways across generations. Overcoming racism is the greatest test of the American experiment. Are we going to be a gang or a team? Will we allow tribalism to be destructive or creative in America? Can we create a more inclusive and unified America?
Truth
Truth is the antidote and the vaccine. We can’t be more loyal to the gang than we are to the truth. This is the core value of human decency. You can’t walk away from a 75-year-old man lying on the ground bleeding from his ear. You can’t look the other way and certainly can’t help hold down a man while your gang member kills him. Wrong is wrong, whether it is being done to you, by you or by your tribe. It is the lies we tell ourselves in a pledge of allegiance to a small tribe, rather than the bigger tribe of humanity, that allows and enables such atrocities to go undeterred. At the most basic level, the issue is a lack of accountability for doing wrong. Accountability follows telling the truth, including to ourselves. The purpose of lying is to avoid the burden of doing what is right and to hide wrongs. Doing what is right may not be in our own self-interest. Tribal lies, deception, distraction, conspiracy, and protection gives license to the lowest of human emotions and a disregard for others. These are evils that undermine the health and functioning of a society and any inherent culture. The truth illuminates and exposes. The truth forces accountability because the wrong is there like an elephant in the room. You can’t miss it. You can’t look the other way. That is why truth is the antidote. Truth is also the vaccine because it is the basis of transparency. With transparency, you can prevent wrongs and nip them in the bud. The truth is we are all humans trying to navigate this mystery called life. The worst thing you can do is to be disrespectful and inhumane to another human being. We all have blind spots and biases whether we admit it or not. We actually need each other to help see beyond our blind spots and biases. And we need to talk truthfully to each other to do so. The truth matters. It was understood that the union was imperfect but that through the sincere and truthful pursuit of this dream, especially as described by Dr. Martin Luther King, we could make the union more perfect. Only a truthful dialogue can light the way.
Enough is Enough
We are dealing with an old and a new virus. They are a lethal combination. The virus of racism has created disparities that have made black and brown Americans more vulnerable to the pandemic Covid-19 virus. Through the twin crises of a senseless murder and a pandemic, an urgent and irrevocable need to change is thrust upon us. Something is happening in this country. It seems that time is over for incrementalism. Emotions we have avoided have been exposed and vague existential threats are now a real and present danger. Complacency is no longer an option. The truth is that curing racism is in the best interest of white society. We need the talent and contributions of everyone to realize the full potential of the American experiment. The words of our Declaration of Independence and its constitution uniquely frame a country where the citizens have certain unalienable rights. Unfortunately, words and actions are two different things. What if we put actions behind the lofty words? Can you imagine what America could be if everyone had the equal right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? If everyone had the opportunity to live up to their full potential? A more inclusive economy would grow faster, larger, and with jobs to fit every ambition and skill. A bigger pie is possible with all citizens engaged in being productive and contributing members of one tribe. This is a time for radical change. This is a time to rethink and reimagine healthcare and civil operations in the United States and across the globe. There will certainly be a new healthcare and societal normal after this pandemic, can there also be a new normal in race relations? Have we finally reached that point where enough is enough for everyone? It now seems possible because it will take everyone’s commitment. That’s why it is so gratifying to see our white brothers and sisters taking up arms in this moment to say enough is enough.
George Floyd was not a CEO or celebrity but that is the point. He was an ordinary man deserving of respect. Someone everyone can relate to. He was someone you rooted for. And everyone is a hero to someone. He was a hero to his family. He was Superman to his six-year-old daughter, Gianna Floyd. As Floyd’s brother, Philonise, said at his congressional testimony, “If his death changes the world for the better, then he would have died as he lived ‘’.
