It has been a few weeks now since the world watched the gruesome murder of George Floyd in the streets of Minneapolis at the knees and hands of police officers. It has been over a month since we all found out about the February 2020, execution of Ahmaud Arberry and the inexplicable killing of Breonna Taylor in March of this year. As I write, the details of the death of Rayshard Brooks have just been revealed as charges were read for the two police officers who were involved. It is also the third consecutive week of protests across our country, and the world.

In the midst of the hurt, the grief, the frustration, and the hopelessness of the fight against systemic racism some beautiful things are happening. Long revered symbols of the Confederacy are being taken down. Policies are being drafted and enacted to challenge and reform systems that have facilitated the oppression of people groups. Repentance is happening. 

People of all colors, all backgrounds, all socioeconomic standings have linked arms and hearts to fight for equality!

Whether you believe in God or not you would be hard-pressed to not see the beauty in all the colors that we were created with. The tapestry of humankind is beautiful, and the unified protests have given us a glimpse of that. All shades with one heart beating in the same rhythm, pumping the same color blood, echoing in one voice – Black Lives Matter. 

This is a moment in our history to celebrate. Let us not let it die. Today, we speak and we fight for black lives, but what of tomorrow? 

I trust that you like music, I would even dare to hope that you love music. Do you like solos? It is powerful when one voice or instrument is spotlighted and that individual shares their interpretation of the music. It is beautiful when another instrument or voice is added and made that much more complete when a full band, orchestra, or group of voices join in to color the presentation. It becomes a moving moment of synergy. This synergy can be found in so many things around us. This synergy is within us, we feel it and live it as every organ and tissue and ligament and bone comes together with the breath within us to create life. That synergy should be seen in our society.

I am not God, but were I bestowed that designation I would be disappointed each time someone says, “I do not see color” regarding race. How? How can we deny the very shell that cloaks the beauty within? How can we blind our eyes from the mosaic created by the unique experiences even within races? No. We should see color. See it, learn about all the individual parts that come together to make the collective experience. See it, learn about it, and celebrate it. Celebrate the triumphs, the music, the foods, the proverbs, the holidays, the attire, the let downs, the gatherings, the ways of worship, the accents and pronunciations, the colloquialisms, and rituals. Why choose to only listen to a solo when we were created to bring all of our differences into an intricate yet beautiful symphony? No. See color, embrace color, and like the protestors shouting together in chorus, let us be as one. See color, and do not be quiet until all are seen equally, known equally, celebrated equally. See color, hear color, love color, celebrate color.