For days the image of a Black man face down on concrete, lying flat with a white police officer’s knee pressed against his neck, has not left my mind.
The man — a father, a brother, a son — died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for approximately eight minutes. This was a horrendous act.
While pinned under the officer’s knee, he cried, “I can’t breathe!” but the officer did not move. His name was George Floyd.
Since I arrived in the United States six years ago, I have heard many heartbreaking stories of police brutality directed at people who look like me, people who look like my husband. Too often people of color have been killed by police simply because they are Black. This is a grave injustice.
People of color are not fully free in the so-called land of the free. That is a painful reality we must confront.
But there is hope.
We can be unapologetically anti-racist, recognizing racism for what it is and confronting it with our whole hearts.
How can we help? How can each of us be part of the solution? Here are seven practical ways to fight racism:
1. Seek to Understand
Many people do not truly understand racism because they have never been treated as inferior because of their race. That lack of experience makes it harder to see the problem, but it can be overcome by intentional learning. Read books on racism and watch thoughtful documentaries that trace its history and impact. Educating yourself is a necessary first step toward meaningful action.
2. Treat Every Human with Dignity and Respect
All people — regardless of language, skin color, ethnicity or background — deserve dignity. Do not treat anyone as less worthy or more worthy because of where they’re from. Black, brown, yellow and white — every human life has equal value and should be honored as such.
3. Teach Children About the Realities of Racism
It is essential to teach the next generation about racism’s history and its ongoing effects. Share the stories of leaders like Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who challenged oppression. Children, both white and Black, should learn that racism exists, that it is harmful, and that they have a role in opposing it.
4. Speak Up
Do not stay silent in the face of racism, whether you encounter it in your neighborhood, workplace, or on social media. Speak out against injustice, share messages that matter to you, and encourage others to do the same. History shows that speaking out can create real change.
5. Love and Do Not Hate
Responding to prejudice with hatred only fuels a cycle of violence. Hatred begets hatred; love begets love. We must learn to love our neighbors of all races, even when individuals from another group behave wrongly. Compassion and empathy break cycles of animosity.
6. Build Tables
Fear often grows from unfamiliarity. If you feel uncomfortable around people of a different race, resist that fear by reaching out. Invite people into your home and engage in honest conversations. Building relationships and shared spaces creates understanding and reveals our common humanity.
7. Pray
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 is often cited as a call to seek healing through prayer. Our nation is wounded and needs healing; many find comfort and direction in turning to faith for guidance and reconciliation.
May we all — people of every color and background — strive to live together in peace and unity. We are human beings first: brown, Black, white, and every shade in between. Let us honor our shared dignity and work together to end racism.