Flowers not Trash

We went by the new mural on Holton to memorialize George Floyd yesterday. We stopped and talked about why it was done. It is a beautiful mural and I would encourage you to go and see it. I was struck by Dex saying someone put down flowers and not trash. I was struck by that because there is so much trash in our neighborhood.

Dex is so used to seeing trash that he did a double take on seeing something different. Alex and I have talked a lot about Black Lives Matter and how white people say that Black Lives Matter when society tells them otherwise. Society tells them otherwise by living in a neighborhood where there is trash everywhere. Society tells them otherwise by landlords not taking care of their homes and having shitty flats for people to rent out. Society tells them otherwise by putting poor black families in areas where they don’t have to see and can easily avoid. If we really want Black Lives to matter we need kids to grow up not living in places with trash everywhere. If we really want Black Lives to matter we need kids to feel valued.  How can they feel like they value when they see trash everywhere.