"I pray that you continue to celebrate and value lives that appear different than your own..."

I hope that everyone is safe and healthy.

As our nation, and now the world, grapples with its second week of protests against the killing of unarmed black men and women by police, I have been reflecting and listening. I hope that this finds you in a time of similar meditation. Personally, I have been trying to take some time to listen to voices that have long-been ignored. There’re two thoughts that have continued to stay with me over these last few days and I can’t quite seem to shake them.

The first, stems from a desire to better understand the context of our history and how we got here today. Throughout history, we look back at incredible leaders – leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., leaders like Ida B. Wells, leaders like Nelson Mandela – we look back and we tend to gloss over the period in time before they became legendary. Before the history books were written, Dr. King was thought of us as radical and dangerous, he was under surveillance by the FBI, and J. Edgar Hoover called him the most notorious liar in the country in 1964 – almost a year after his “I Have a Dream” speech. Ida B. Wells faced public disapproval constantly, from the women’s suffrage movement and even within the civil rights movement itself. Nelson Mandela served 27 years in prison, and for much of his life he was considered a terrorist and communist sympathizer, denounced by such public figures as Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. He remained on the U.S. terror watch list until 2008. These are just three examples of how individuals speaking out against injustice were deemed radical, and delegitimized by the media and by those in power. Remembering them has made me rethink how I read every news article, every story, every editorial column.

The second, came from a social media post from a stranger – Deneisha Franklin. It has been making the rounds, and I encourage you to check it out. The main part that has captured me is this one – “If you’ve found yourself saying, ‘I can’t be silent anymore’ – please please please ask yourself why you’ve made the decision to EVER be silent about the mistreatment or murder of an innocent person.” Black Lives Matter started when Trayvon Martin’s murderer was found innocent in 2013. Seven years ago. And for seven years, the movement was largely not mainstream. Even three years ago, it was considered “risky” for Nike to work with Colin Kaepernick, the NFL player who silently kneeled in protest during the National Anthem. But today, we are seeing mainstream companies from Netflix to Amazon to the Gap make donations and stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. What changed for them? What changed for me? And why did it take so long?

As a country, we have a lot of work to do. As an individual, I have been reflecting deeply on the values I hold dear, including those of Impact Network. Something giving me hope today was the virtual 2020 commencement address today, and something Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter said: “My prayer for you is that you invest in yourself and see the value of giving back and building your community the best way you can. I pray that you continue to celebrate and value lives that appear different than your own.”

Let’s get to it.

-Reshma