For most Americans, it was a heart-rending week marked by two tragedies that seemed brutal, senseless, and maddening all at the same time: the cresting of 100,000 American deaths due to coronavirus and the very public murder of George Floyd, a Black man, at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers.
Both of these events were avoidable. One seemed previously unimaginable while the other tragically repeats itself on an endless loop with no end in sight. Honest to god, how many more times do we have to watch white police officers kill people of color in broad daylight before this systemic violence stops? But both events also cried out for leadership and compassion at the highest levels of government. Continue reading.