Amazing Race

Amazing Race

Finding Peace in Times of War

Hey Cotton Stalkers! I hope that everyone has had a great week and is preparing for a wonderful weekend! Since this will be my birthday weekend, I will definitely be trying to maximize on all the fun I can handle. Unfortunately, this weekend comes with a bit of a downer that we, locally as a city and nationally as a people, are coping with. What would’ve usually been an air of excitement and relaxation surrounding the upcoming party, has been marred and tainted with racial strife that our city is dealing with.  Instead of planning menus and song selections, we are also planning the safest routes that all of our guests can take to avoid unwanted run-ins with the police. Not only will we be appointing designated drivers but also planning callback committees to make sure everyone actually makes it home. Every time my mind drifts off to happy times, I wonder will this be the last time we are all together and able to cherish the memories we make. With every one being on edge, it’s hard to say how people may react if pulled over. Here in our city, the recent death of 37yr. old Antwan Shumpert, has caused tempers to flair and emotions to over flow. It feels like the entire city is hoisted on a razor’s edge and the faintest wind will permanently slice us all apart. People are torn between believing in our justice system and fearing the very institution that is designed to serve and protect. If you add the Philando Castile and Alton Sterling killings into the minds and hearts of a People that already feel like they’re drowning in an ocean of despair and anger, and the lifeguards were the ones that pushed them into the water. How do you restore peace? How do you bring back that sense of calm and community? Should possible driving infractions be the new death sentence? No matter what race you are, the only race that matters is the human race. We all need each other. I find beauty in the different colors and tones of our skin. We all have qualities that make us different yet beautiful in our own right. We must find a solution to the problems that face us as a species, not as a single race. We must reinvent ourselves once again. We must make the human race amazing once again.

As I come to a close, I want to thank you for taking time out of your day to read this blog.  I would say “my blog” but I feel like it’s “our” blog.  I want you to feel like you’ve just come home every time you stop by.  So by all means, come in, take your shoes off, and let’s talk for a while…

P.S.

If you have some topics that you would like to see discussed, then drop us a line on facebook, a tweet on Twitter, a letter by email, or note tied to a carrier pigeon’s foot…however you reach us, we’ll just be glad you did. Email Me: southernkiss@thecottondiaries.com