I actually wept this morning. It takes a lot these days to bring me to tears but this morning, a conversation I had with a young woman did just that.

She was a young woman of color. A soft hint of a southern accent lingered in her speech. We spoke about the state of the country. The horrific events we were witnessing. She openly expressed her fears. How she couldn’t believe she was actually living “like this.” I cried. I cried because at just that moment I happened to look at a picture of my mother. My mother who during the sixties in Detroit, was very involved in the civil rights movement. My mother who cried when Dr. King was assassinated. Who cried when Detroit burned during the riots that followed. My mother that taught me that hate was never to be tolerated. My mother that taught me that all people are to be valued. And my mother that taught me it is your responsibility to speak up in the face of injustice and intolerance.

When my mother passed away in 1974, I’m sure she sincerely believed things were getting better. That as a society, we were evolving. I know I certainly did. And I clung to that belief throughout most of my adult life.

So this morning as I spoke to this young woman who expressed her concerns about her future, I literally wept. I realized that my generation as stewards for this country have failed. Personally, I feel I’ve failed my mother. Universally, we have failed the generations that are coming behind us.

Instead of presenting them a country that embraces them, we have enabled hate to prevail. We have presented them with a country where a young woman actually says “I don’t feel safe anymore.” And that is something we all should weep for.

#BeBetter

#DoBetter