I flipped on the radio and caught an interview in progress featuring a college student-athlete whose workout included jogging.  The man noted that he was 19, rather tall at six feet four inches with long arms, and in a self-deprecating way stated that to some he might appear intimidating.  His diction was perfect and there was no discernible regional accent.  He sounded extremely confident and then the mystique collapsed when I heard the words, “And then there was George Floyd…and I understood that my jogging routine could lead to my death.”  That’s when this listener realized that the athlete was BLACK living in an America that might consider the young man as a threat.

Those words, “And then there was George Floyd,” stuck with me throughout the rest of my day.  As someone who ran track when I was younger, I never ever worried that I might lose my life when I went out and jogged – part of my training.  Then I couldn’t help but hear in my head other names.

“And then there was Eric Garner.”

“And then there was Sandra Bland.”

“And then there was Ahmaud Arbery.”

“And then there was Breonna Taylor.”

“And then there was Tamir Rice.”

‘And then there was Philando Castile.”

“And then there was Michael Brown.”

“And then there was Rodney King?”

And I was absolutely certain that I had missed a number of other names.  But those names floated through my mind that day along with a question.  Why hadn’t there been a similar reaction towards all of those deaths?  Rodney King’s name did spark the riots of L.A. in 1992 and in a number of other American cities, but the reaction didn’t encompass some 200 cities and towns worldwide like Floyd’s passing.

Perhaps the reason for “la difference” was due in part to the marvel of cell phone technology and social media that allowed the world to witness an execution either LIVE (an oxymoron) or via the replay of a video recording that was so egregious that no one, no matter what their creed or religion or political affiliation could not accept.

So to Darnella Frazier, the 17–year–old who filmed and posted the incident and now suffers harassment and threats of bodily harm that have forced her at times to hide from the world, I thank you. 

What this young lady did was monumental… and this blog deals with people who GO DO GOOD.  It’s ironic that Darnella had to present to the world something SO BAD to GO DO GOOD, but that’s what she did while trying to convince a man whose knee was choking the life out of George Floyd – to stop it.

That’s a lot to expect from a 17-year-old but then so was what a 14-year-old by the name of Emmet Till did for CIVIL RIGHTS in the U.S. of A.

Enjoy Juneteenth (the 19th of June) – a day that celebrates the emancipation of Americans at one time owned by other Americans. But it’s clear that we as a people have a long way to go before the fear of being BLACK no longer is a nightmare one must contend with when merely going for a jog.