Author: Mary Long

An Act of Courage

Mary LongLeave a comment

In 1996, Keisha Thomas was in high school when she displayed an act of bravery whose message is particularly relevant in America today.

The kkk was having a rally in her hometown of Michigan, so Keisha attended the counter-protest that was being held across the road.

Suddenly, someone in her group yelled ‘there’s a klansman over here’ and the group zeroed in on a man in a confederate flag shirt, knocking  him to the ground while kicking and punching him.

Keisha reacted immediately by throwing her body on top of the klansman to protect him.

When asked about her actions Keisha replied, ‘I knew what it was like to be hurt. The many times that happened I wish someone would have stood up for me.’

The man never thanked Keisha, but months later she was in a coffee shop when his son recognized her and thanked her.

‘For the most part, people who hurt…they come from hurt,” she said. “it’s a cycle. Let’s say they had killed him or hurt him really bad. How does the son feel? Does he carry on the violence?’

Our country has been taken over by predators with hate in their hearts and they have unfortunately found a following in some of our fellow citizens. While opening our arms to them and just forgetting the horrors they’ve inflicted on us seems unreasonable, how can we move forward as a country without becoming hate-filled ourselves?

Now in her thirties, Keisha continues to be an advocate for finding ways to overcome our divides and gives us a suggestion, ‘the biggest thing you can do is just be kind to another human being’ she states. ‘it can come down to eye contact, or a smile. It doesn’t have to be a huge, monumental task.’

While forgiving and moving forward may still be in our future, just for today we can make the choice to spread a bit of kindness to those we come across. You never know how far-reaching that kindness will be.

White Women See it Now

Mary LongLeave a comment

This is the time of women rising and I speak to white women particularly when I say we cannot bury our heads in the sand any longer. This is heartbreaking work, so protect your state of mind as needed, but our mission is not to turn away because it’s too brutal. Our Black sisters and Native American sisters have been carrying the brunt and knowledge of these crimes alone for too long.

The vast majority of us are shocked at the horrors being revealed in the files, but THEY aren’t shocked because these horrors aren’t an evil birthed in the modern age, but crimes that have been being perpetrated against them since our country’s inception. Crimes whose memories have been carried in their bloodlines from their ancestors, that for far too long have stayed hidden in the dark. Crimes that continue to this day.

Men using women and children’s bodies for their sexual pleasure and most deviant evil fantasies, including hunting human lives for sport, is not new. White men believing they can use and abuse women and children for their own sick crimes started centuries ago, when our forefathers decided the white man reigned supreme and had no conscience over what he did to people who he was taught to believe were not as human or valuable as him. We acknowledge white women were also participants and silent observers in these crimes.

White women need to find our inner strength and educate ourselves regarding the truth of the foundations and beliefs regarding our country’s history and stand with our black sisters and Native American sisters and tell them we see it now. We see it and they no longer have to carry the burden of rectifying this evil alone. We are your sisters who have awakened, and we will face these souless predators not just standing shoulder to shoulder with you but standing in front of you. Telling you that it took too long, but we see it now and you no longer carry this burden alone.