Loving our neighbors
The following post is the written version of the video feature.
There's no denying that the past few weeks have been a rollercoaster for many. With the posts and videos circling throughout the internet, I'm sure that many of us became overwhelmed about what to do. Still, I realize that racial injustice is old news for those in the black community, and shouldn't be the case anymore. So I'm mustering whatever brain power I have to share a message that I hope will motivate you to take small steps towards loving our neighbors.
Before I continue, I know that many of you come to my channel to learn about simple and sustainable living. I feel comfortable speaking about those things because of my experience with them for the past few years, but racism and social injustice is something I've only tapped the surface of in the past two weeks. I admit that I'm still educating myself and will continue to do so, but I'll include additional resources in the blog post below from people who are more well-versed than myself.
The deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd make it clear that implicit bias and racism still exist in society today. It's shocking that even in 2020, because of the color of their skin, black individuals have to live in fear when doing the simplest of activities such as sleeping, jogging, or going shopping. This prejudice against blacks has also manifested into institutional racism, which makes their opportunities for education, justice, and work much different than those with white skin. Unfortunately, this system has not changed much over the years, even though none of us have a choice of what color skin we're born into, who are parents will be, or what type of home we'll grow up in. Yet somehow, our society has deemed particular races more valuable than others, and there's quite a bit of work we need to do to fix that.
As I've reflected this week to see how racism takes place in my everyday life, I've thought about my work in social media. When I browse for new posts or videos, I see mostly white and Asian influencers, authors, and artists. However, it took me some time to try to dig and search through media to find people of other races, and I didn't see a single black person on my Instagram feed. I felt ashamed that I didn't notice this before, but I am doing what I can to take steps to diversify my circle of influence. Thank you for those of you who have shared amazing black creators, artists, and brands throughout the world. I'm looking forward to learning more about their stories, and if any of you have any suggestions, do let me know as well.
I've also reflected on my passion for sustainability, specifically on a term called "intersectional environmentalism." Intersectional environmentalism advocates for the protection of not only the planet but also the people that live on it. Though the entire human race is affected, marginalized communities will be the first to be affected by the effects of climate change as sea levels rise. Research also indicates that marginalized communities have been the most exposed to poor air quality and environmental conditions. Access to a clean, safe environment should be a right for all, but it isn't in today's status quo. Let's look beyond the sustainable changes in our own home and seek ways to help the communities around us that need it most.
When it boils down to it, I understand that I'm a human that is at fault for loving my comfort zone. It's natural to connect with others that look like us or have a similar economic, religious, or educational background. These times have brought me to a Bible passage found in James 2, which shares an illustration of the importance of not showing favoritism:
Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.
None of us are better than another based on the color of our skin, our salaries, or our achievements. I pray that we would know what it truly means to love our neighbors as ourselves, and that love, not fear, would fuel us into action. Would we unite through our differences, whatever they are, and seek to understand beyond our initial judgments, for beneath every human being is soul deserving of acceptance, respect, and love.
