This white guy goes to a Black Lives Matter protest

I'm 51 and I can't recall ever going to a protest. For anything. I've always had the thought, "What does a bunch of people standing with signs and chanting do to effect change?" But with recent events in the public arena, and more importantly, recent events between our ears,  Ann and I decided to stand and be counted today at a rally organized by Whidbey Against Brutality and Racial Injustice.

I was nervous about going.  I didn't want to be part of anything violent.  I didn't want to be part of an angry mob.  And part of me didn't want people to think I was becoming one of "those" angry people.

Arriving at the intersection of Hwy 20 and Beeksma Dr in Oak Harbor we saw a couple hundred people gathered at all 4 corners of the intersection.  As we entered the little park where the largest group was gathered we walked by a group of 5 Oak Harbor police officers.  I took off my mask and told them thank you for being there and that I appreciate the work they do.  One of them told me, "Thank you for being here."

When we arrived most of the protesters were quietly kneeling like Colin Kaepernick and the NFL players who joined his protest movement a few years ago.  I saw the crowd was mixed - probably half minorities and half white.  It hit me that this was the most racially mixed crowd I've been a part of at anything on Whidbey Island in 18 years here.  OK actually in my 51 years of life.

There was an older black woman in walking in front of the kneeling crowd, preaching loudly about the need to represent the love of God for all.  She was emotional, passionate, and her face was teary.  Spontaneous applause broke out a few times when she spoke about love.

When she finished the crowd stood and the chanting began.  Three young black women in their early 20s took turns with the megaphone leading call and response chants.  "Say his name...George Floyd."  "Black lives matter...black lives matter."  "No justice...no peace."  "Hands up...don't shoot."  At one point they read a few sentences about the tragic plight of 5 or 6 lesser known victims of unjust deaths at the hands of law enforcement.  I found myself getting very emotional as I heard these brief stories, but with our masks on I could not tell if Ann felt the same.

After about an hour we decided we were ready to go.  As we drove away we both found ourselves unable to speak without our voices choking up. "Hearing those names...it was just so sad."

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About a week earlier I had read a blog post someone shared on Facebook called 75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice.  It was overwhelming.  There were literally SO MANY ways that this white guy could do SOMETHING.  Listed there I found many books and movies that were recommended to learn more about the racial inequalities in our justice system, police treatment, and the prison system.  I decided to start by downloading the Audible version of Just Mercy.  This book, written by Bryan Stevenson, tells his first person story of representing wrongfully sentenced black people on death row.  I've been working my way through the 11 hours of the audio book and finding myself angered, saddened, and disappointed in our legal system and in myself for being happily unaware of what Stevenson describes so poignantly. Things have started changing between my own ears and more importantly in my heart. Passively sitting back and doing nothing no longer is an option.  So yes this white guy went to stand and be counted among those who are crying out for a more just society: a society where black people do not have to fear interactions with law enforcement, be presumed guilty rather than innocent, be victimized by violence and systems that perpetuate racism.

It's about time.