Looking for equality in America

Published 12:48 pm Tuesday, June 9, 2020

To the Editor:

The recent demonstrations across the nation in response to the death of George Floyd reminds us that there is still much work that needs to be done for this nation to become a place that not only claims that “all men are created equal,” but also lives by this truth.

Since the people in our region are overwhelmingly white, it’s easy for us to not really be aware of how different life is in this country for people of color. While statistics on police stops can suggest inequalities, they don’t fully capture how extra careful a person of color must be to avoid harm, whether during a police stop (as in the killings of George Floyd, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and many others), while jogging through a predominantly white neighborhood (as in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Glynn County, Ga., earlier this year), or while pointing a white woman to a park sign to leash her dog (as in the retaliation against Christian Cooper in New York City last week).

Can you imagine the added stress and frustration in your life if you knew your chances of being harassed, harmed, or killed (not to mention ignored, dismissed, or treated rudely) during everyday events were increased simply because of the skin you were born with?

If we truly believe “all men are created equal,” an injustice towards others should be as offensive to us as an injustice towards ourselves.

D. McCoy

Elizabethton