Today, as a mother of two grown children, I have only one thing on my mind and weighing heavy on my heart.
As we celebrate our own mom’s and the joy of becoming a mother, I can only think about Wanda Cooper, the grieving mother of Ahmaud Arbery.
“Ahmaud was my baby boy. I had him on Mother’s Day back
in 1994. Ahmaud was his brother and sister’s keeper . . . he loved
his family. He loved his momma; he had the most humble spirit.
He said “thank you” all the time, those were his words. If you did
anything for Ahmaud, it was always “thank you.” His spirit was
just so humble . . .”
As all of us know by now, on Sunday February 23rd, Ahmaud went out for an afternoon jog and lost his life to a hate crime.
While I’m sure Ahmaud’s mother warned him about many things that his young white peers never have to think about . . .
I doubt his mother ever thought to warn him that “jogging while black” on a beautiful afternoon in a predominantly white neighborhood could get him killed.
I’m also sure that his mother never told him that he wasn’t allowed to be curious about new construction and dare to look inside because of the color of his skin.
As a mother of a beautiful, gracious son myself – this is the unimaginable, the unbearable and the ultimate nightmare every parent never wants to wake up to.
If anything is ever going to change, all of us must open our eyes to the reality of inherited racial hatred. We must air the truth that “bigotry and prejudice” which breed the idea that you are somehow better and special because you have white skin; is a lesson carefully taught in the confines of one’s home.
If we must be intolerant, it’s time to be intolerant of hate, it is time to be intolerant of white privilege, it is time to be intolerant of unequal justice for young black men, it is time to be intolerant of extolling white supremacists while demonizing those who choose to silently protest.
It is time for all of us to walk a mile in Wanda Cooper’s shoes. It is time for every mom to stand together and protect all black kids – even if they aren’t yours.
The Zen Den
Hello and welcome to The Zen Den. My name is Alison and while I am passionate about many things, my most inspiring driving force is human connection. Blogger, content writer, orthopedic exercise specialist, motivational speaker, international yoga pro, published songwriter, avid poker player, mom and wife are just a few of my titles. But when I do my job at NASA, I am known simply as “The Fairy Zenmother” a role I deeply love because people invite me into their space to help them find their center, relax and stretch their muscles and destress their mind. Here in the blogosphere version of The Zen Den, I invite you into my world where I will explore ideas for creating a better tomorrow and a kinder today. And hopefully, with insight, authenticity and humor; my words, observations and experiences will help you feel calm, centered, intellectually challenged and spiritually enlightened. Alternatively, if you have something you would like to see covered in The Zen Den, just let me know. Your feedback is welcome and valuable to the success of this blog. Finally, my heart is filled with gratitude to have this opportunity to share with all of you.
