2020-06-04

In the second week of #BlackLivesMatter protests in big cities, mid-size towns, and rural highways all over the United States and all over the globe, our lived reality feels profoundly different than what it used to be. In the second week of #BlackLivesMatter messages handwritten on homemade signs or shared on social media, our lives appear more focused, our history more transparent, our future more dependent on our ability to act together and to do so justly. In the second week of #BlackLivesMatter daily protests and Week 12 of COVID-19 in Lexington, Kentucky, we offer you the words of Christine Louise Stanley. Kurt and I met and photographed Christine and her husband Justin a couple of days ago, after realizing we had already been near each other—wearing masks—at a protest, two nights earlier. Christine: “The pandemic slowed us down and brought everything into focus. If the lines were blurred about the devaluation and dehumanization of Black lives at the hands of the police. It’s clear now. If the lines were blurred about whether you spent enough time with your family. It’s clear now. If the lines were blurred about whether African-Americans could possibly have disproportionate health outcomes in a city like Lexington with more than 3 hospital systems within its 285.5 square miles. It’s clear now. If the lines were blurred about whether your employer was able to let you work from home. It’s clear now. If the lines were blurred about whether our drug overdose epidemic could get worse. It’s clear now. If the lines were blurred about whether you could pick up that hobby if you just had the time. It’s clear now. If the lines were blurred about whether your neighbors would help you in times of need. It’s clear now. If the lines were blurred about whether you could bake that bread from scratch. It’s clear now. If the lines were blurred about whether you could learn new technology at your age. It’s clear now. If the lines were blurred about whether we need each other to survive. It’s clear now. The pandemic forced us to deal with uncomfortable situations and realities; it compounded issues, and at the very least, made us uncomfortable. But the pandemic also made us realize that we are, in fact, stronger together. This new perspective gives us the opportunity to make dramatic changes in our lives, our communities and in our world. Vote. Grow a garden. Buy local. Enjoy the outdoors. Make time to listen and learn. Fight injustice. Love one another. Build our future. We cannot go back to how it once was. Justin and I stand with you in solidarity always and forever.”