You matter. No matter who is reading this, you matter. 

Where you live, the color of your skin, who you love, the God you worship....none of these should determine whether you live or die. Until that day comes, none of us are really free.

I confess I feel vulnerable writing this. As a white, middle-class male in the Midwest I know that I can not fully understand your pain, your fear or your experience. I also know that my words alone do not hold enough value, you need and deserve action.

The murder of George Floyd is both tragic in its individual nature and symbolic in the ongoing systemic threats to our brothers and sisters. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic began I used some of the time to read and re-read Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”. I highlighted passages and tried to interpret and soak in the words. 

One passage that stood out to me then, and particularly stings now, is his message of fear that the greatest blocker may not be the racists, but rather the White moderate who agrees with the Black man’s cause but denies the need for action

I submit to you that I will now do what many of us should have done long ago. I will live with intentionality every day to understand the role I can play in taking action to move our society a step closer to freedom, equity and inclusion. 

I know I will not be perfect in this journey. When a tornado hits, we know to donate supplies and help rebuild. If a friend becomes ill, we can provide food and comfort. What does one do when our fellow man is consciously and unconsciously robbed of their most basic freedoms? 

I believe it is true and necessary to recognize a time has arisen in our world where both God’s love is unwavering and the need for change is unparalleled. 

Together, I hope you will teach me to use a voice to call out injustice, the hands of action-based alliance and the eyes of identification for bias. 

With love and hope,

Chase

The views, opinions and content expressed on ChaseSnider.com are solely mine and may not represent those of any employer, organization, or group in which I am a member.