I have been thinking a lot about the injustice in the world and I get damn angry about it. This time of reckoning with racism, as one headline read, is the time to decide where we are going. We are all in this together has evolved from comfort words during a pandemic to strengthening voices and people against hate.

The outrage and anger are the fuel needed to envision better for everyone.

Discussions over monuments and portraits should be over. Get rid of them. Shut it down. What we are experiencing now holds true that no glory can be found in those histories. End the abuse and transgressions against people that have suffered and sacrificed too much already.

I am 38 years old and have struggled with family, peers, and concrete mindsets about how the world works. When I chose to date my boyfriend, who was black, I was met with strong opposition from my family. They warned me of prejudice, being treated unfairly, and overall choosing a harder life. They demanded that I choose differently. When I didn’t, I had to navigate the world alone. Nineteen years later, my boyfriend then is my husband now. We have two sons, and are navigating a world together that seeks to make life harder for most. Divisive views and nostalgia for the good ‘ol days have never been my vibe. Twenty years ago I wouldn’t accept the excuse that its just the way it is and I refuse to accept that now.

The old ways are dying but the influence is still strong. It enrages me when a young person has given up on change, when they have a cemented belief that corruption and injustice are normal. My grandmother used to say, “Don’t cut your nose to spite your face”. Wiki explanation- “a warning against acting out of pique, or against pursuing revenge in a way that would damage oneself more than the object of one’s anger.” My translation, Don’t fuck it all up for everyone. We are all accountable to create better replacements for old ways. I feel confident in the believers and dreamers. The ingenuity and industriousness of the new minds will make it impossible to look back. The focus can be on what’s ahead.

Thankfully, there are more citizens united in the demand for equality and fairness. The protests are to put an end to systemic racism that keeps people down with no ladder to climb. No one is waiting anymore for that ladder. It’s going to be people lifting one another up and reaching back to give their hand to another. Imagine the constitution being a living document that serves the wellness of the world first. Imagine better anything. Just Imagine.