In light of this weekend's horrifying massacre in Orlando, coupled with the fact that so, SO many of my African American friends are posting about still being on the receiving end of bigotry, I have to wonder... when did we begin to take two steps back?
Photo: Five Wun Oh Photography
Model: Jackie Hoopz
Concept/Makeup/Styling: Dani Lazaro
Violent acts are now so common place that there's an instant way to update your profile photo on Facebook to show your support? What a sad state of affairs.
Take a moment today to scroll through the following images. I challenge all of you to loudly, publicly, say no. No to hatred. No to class separation. No to bigotry. No to allowing it to continue.
"The gunman, Omar Mateen, 29, of Fort Pierce, Florida, was interviewed by the FBI in 2013 and 2014 but was not found to be a threat, the FBI said. Mateen called 911 during the attack to pledge allegiance to ISIS and mentioned the Boston Marathon bombers, according to a U.S. official."
"unarmed black men are seven times more likely thanwhites to die by police gunfire" The Washington Post
"Adam Lanza, 16 years old at the time of his parents' divorce, was described early on by classmates as 'fidgety' and 'deeply troubled.' ...what investigators found in Lanza's home. There were numerous weapons as well as ammunition. Lanza also had a number of books and articles on other mass killings." biography.com
"a group of terrorists was in the final stages of planning a series of attacks that would kill 3,000 people on September 11. Much of the federal government seemed to have been in a summer daze as well, missing the warning signs of what would become the deadliest act of terrorism on U.S. soil. While some in the intelligence community raised red flags, the White House had brushed off warnings of an impending attack..." ABC News
What can you do?
1) Educate yourself and others about mental illness.
2) Vote. React. Stay Involved. Keep your elected officials accountable.
3) Resist being part of the hands-off society we have become. Did you see, hear or suspect something? Report it.
4) Open your mind. Investigate. Did you actually pull up and read House Bill 2?
5) Guide your children. Teach respect. Teach tolerance.
Post a Comment