In his letter from the Birmingham jail, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. talked about creating tension to bring people to the table for real negotiation – not violent tension, but a degree of discomfort that cannot be ignored.
Today, protestors have shown that they are not going away and are willing to make all of us feel uncomfortable. The entire community cannot ignore the sentiment from some in the black community. Many are wondering if unarmed blacks can be killed without justice, what will protect them? We can argue “the facts,” as we may want to believe them; however, that will not change how people feel.
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As author Lisa Sharon Harper wrote recently, we must move "from the plateau of rage or the plain of apathy" if we are going to tackle the big problems in our region. To extend the metaphor, we need to find the valley of discomfort and live there together as a region.
Can we create more opportunities to share the lived experience of black parents talking to their white counterparts? To share their daily fears and concerns and build a common bond of love for all children? Can we hear the stories of the people in our region and their interactions with law enforcement, no matter their station in life, and truly understand the significant frustration that has grown over time? Can we hear the stories from law enforcement about the stress they encounter every day because of the proliferation of guns in our community and people's willingness to use them?