A Moment of Reflection

December 3

Hey everyone,

Happy December! I hope you all are having a wonderful last month of year 2014, and looking forward to the new year! There are a lot of great things in store for all of us, Insha’allah!

The weather today in Rabat, Morocco is dismal, to say the least! It has been raining all day, with torrential downpour every hour or so. I am finding it rather hard to be productive, as all I want to do is curl up and sleep. Regardless, I am still trucking along on my story for journalism and will definitely complete it by the due date, this coming Sunday.

In other news, I am afraid that my mood lately is mirroring today’s weather. As I prepare to make my way home in eleven days, I am met with mixed feelings. At this point, nothing could be more exciting than seeing my family, eating the foods I miss the most, and being back in my own bed.

That being said, I am so deeply disturbed by what is happening in American society these days. Within these last few hours, I learned that Eric Garner’s murderer will not be charged for his crime. Just last week, our nation was shocked by Michael Brown’s murderer avoiding charges as well.

The fact that two black men were killed with no repercussions, and for seemingly no reason except the threat of danger perceived by the color of their skin, really scares me. This kind of injustice occurs every day, but these particular crimes were committed by those who vow to “protect and serve”.

Yes, there is a “race” problem in the United States. The systematic and institutional dehumanization of black and brown bodies has existed since the times of slavery. Yes, I am concerned for my peers and for my own two brothers. Don’t believe me? Check out The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander.

What concerns me the most, however, is our society’s “accountability” problem, especially in relation to violence. There are many whites and other races of people being harmed, alarmingly from my generation. Little to nothing is or has changed, the cycle continues, and that scares me. When will our society put a stop to ALL senseless persecution?

Having lived in such a peaceful place for the last four months, my mind is unsure of how to cope with coming home. Of course Morocco has its own issues, as all places do, but I feel like I am returning to a war zone.

I will use the lens of race, because I know it best, but people are being killed in their homes, Aiyana Jones, shot on the street, Michael Brown, followed by unstable men, Trayvon Martin, shot down seeking help, Renisha McBride, and mistakenly killed by fifty bullets on the morning of their wedding, Sean Bell.

Late President, and fellow alumnus of my alma mater, Choate Rosemary Hall, John F. Kennedy said,

“I look forward to a future in which our country will match its military strength with our moral restraint, its wealth with our wisdom, its power with our purpose.”

I share this sentiment. I am very optimistic that one day things will change, but when, I am just not sure. Life seems to have these complexities, where no matter how much you think on it, you just cannot come to a solution. How do you get people to change their exclusive way of thinking?

In the meantime, I will just try to enjoy the small things in life: each pot of morning tea, every text message or FaceTime session I have with my family, or even just the fact that I woke up today. Someone, somewhere, did not have that opportunity.

I will keep thinking and praying on this. The Global Studies/Africana Studies double major and Sustainable Development minor are definitely being put to good use at the moment. The literature is astounding. Thanks, Lehigh!

To my readers – you do not AT ALL have to agree with my opinion. I just ask that you respect it. My thoughts in this post come from a place of personal reflection, backed by academic exploration and literature. Until we can all learn to show and execute levels of respect for other lives, we can get nowhere. I welcome comments and dialogue, if you wish!

Until next time,
Rae