5 Takeaways from the Powerful Episode about George Floyd
Hey Threadies…
Our hearts hurt over here at Threads Podcast: Life Unfiltered. The death of George Floyd (and all the senseless deaths of black Americans by police officers) has weighed heavily on us, as I’m sure it has so many.
With everything that’s been going on, and the way it’s portrayed on the news and in social media, Jason sent Ben a text message, telling him that they need to talk about George Floyd’s death, not to mention all the local and national events that have followed in its wake. Ben was all about it.
Of the many things you’ll hear on Episode 81 of Threads Podcast: Life Unfiltered, here are 5 quick takeaways:
- Jason has spoken privately with law enforcement officials–putting your knee on someone’s neck is NOT* a recognized police tactic.
- *at least not in Michigan
- Although the show is hosted by two white dudes, Ben has a personal stake in this, as he is the adoptive father of a black daughter. (Learn more about the guys.)
- Ben calls out white privilege.
- A lot of white people (Jason included) haven’t been able to watch the video of George Floyd. Ben says that mentality pretty much sums up white privilege–if you’re black, you have to engage when something like that happens; if you’re white, you can choose to go, That’s too bad, then move on with your life.
- “All Lives Matter” and “I don’t see color” miss the point.
- Ben said, “You have to see color.” He explains that saying All Lives Matter and I don’t see color “feeds into the problem–you’re not seeing the problems that result be-cause they’re black.”
- George Floyd wasn’t even from Minneapolis. He moved there from Texas as part of a Christian discipleship group, where he was being mentored and coached to help get his life on track.
Man. I just wish we weren’t at this point. But we are, and we can’t look away because it makes us uncomfortable. We (especially white people) should be doing something very intentionally to bring light to conversation topics that have too long been avoided, and show support.
Want to support Black Lives Matter, but can’t get out to protest?
There are different ways to show support besides protesting.
- Patronize black-owned businesses
- Visit a predominantly black church service
- Ask your police department if they have de-escalation training (and insist they get it if they don’t)
- Talk to your kids about race and racism. You can use articles from these sources to get started:
- Demand leadership that calls for unity.
Listen to the show, think on it, and let’s all get ready to move forward. Together.
“Please, we can get along here. We all can get along. I mean, we’re all stuck here for a while. Let’s try to work it out.”
Rodney King – May 1, 1992
-CT
Christopher Tallon writes, plays guitar, and has a podcast. Find out more about him: