“For … those in positions of public trust, I have this message: Yours is the duty to bring about a peaceful change in America. If your response to these tragic events is only ‘business as usual’ — you invite not only disaster, but dishonor.” — President Lyndon Johnson, address to the nation, July 27, 1967

We are at a juncture.

Make no mistake. And this is not about a global pandemic.

This IS about something that is sickening and deadly and if not treated properly has the potential to kill our nation like no virus can.

This is not about politics – it is far bigger than that. We have to ask ourselves. Are we a nation built on freedom or fear? Do we truly share the same American experience – and I mean as an American who is proud to be a citizen of a durable democracy that affords us the opportunity to build an enriching life? Many of us know but perhaps not all of us would say the answer to that is no.

We are at a juncture.

We have a responsibility. Each and every one of us – and that is to recognize and acknowledge we are a collective humanity – and in common we have our humanness. That alone connects us intrinsically. That is a bond that cannot be broken because it ties us together at the core.

We must stand together for justice for all, for an end to violence and the eradication of prejudice. If we condone violent behavior – regardless of where it comes from – we are no better than those who are engaging in and perpetrating the suffering of others.

We cannot look the other way. We cannot tolerate an assault on the humanity of others. We cannot return to complacency.

We are at a juncture.

Each one of us has the power to effect change. By our actions. Within our hearts.

We must choose the right path and forge forward with compassion, understanding, and patience. Anything that robs others of their dignity, their rights and worst of all, their lives, steals from us all.

A popular phrase has made its way around during the pandemic. We are in this together. There is more that brings us together than a pandemic.

Let’s truly be in this together.

“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” – President Abraham Lincoln 1861