Racism Must End: Black Lives Matter

Family of boy, woman, man and dog sitting outside. Woman wearing decorative bra straps with pink pompoms and purple off the shoulder top. — Proud of My Inter-racial Family!

My journey as part of an inter-racial family started when I got married nearly 20 years ago, and for the most part it has been a beautiful ride. We're fortunate to have lived in communities, and among friends, that love and accept us. However, I wouldn't be telling the whole truth if I didn’t admit that navigating through, what at times feels like, separate worlds hasn't been challenging --- including this moment in time.

The murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless other black lives that did not receive media attention cannot continue to be justified, excused or ignored. How we individually and collectively show up at this very moment will define who we really are.

There’s so much justifiable pain, anger and sadness. As I look at my family, I think about families of color, and other bi-racial families who look like us, and I wonder -- what do we tell our children? How are they coping? And what type of world are we handing over to them?

As a parent of a bi-racial child, how do I properly convey to my son that he should continue to be proud of his heritage -- both black and white? How do I explain to him why systemic racism still exists all around us, aimed at people that look like his mother? Fourteen years after he came into this world, I'm faced with more questions than answers.

I may be short on answers, but the important thing is to not shy away from the discussion -- because without discussion there will never be answers. And in that discussion, I can explain to my son the importance of showing up. If we all show up, we have a chance to create positive change. If we all show up, LOVE actually can help conquer all. Because LOVE requires caring, empathy, listening and most critically TRUTH -- and that means we must be honest about the presence of systemic racism, speak out against it, and embrace what should be an obvious truth for everyone: Black Lives Matter.

I urge you to show up, speak out, and help stop this injustice. Let's use this challenging moment to create meaningful change, so that we can be proud of the future we're handing to our children, and in turn their children. We are all so much better than this.

I would love to hear your thoughts. How are YOU doing? Please feel free to send me an email: info@tammiapparel.com