I'm White, He's Black

With everything that is happening in America right now, I felt like I should present my perspective on racism. I've had some really constructive conversations surrounding the events of police shootings and people have asked me to share my own experience.
 

I am in an interesting situation where I am a White Native American woman married to a Black man. Before this relationship with my husband, I had never experienced racism and unless you have a life experience similar to someone else, it is very hard for you to have an open perspective on things. 

Here are a FEW examples that I have been involved in:
My husband has been pulled over and in front of my eyes has been disrespected and our car has been searched. We had bags full of camera equipment that maybe looked like drugs? I had to be the mediator in the situation.
I have been at a gas station with him and a cop has pulled over and asked me if I'm alright to which I replied, "Yes, this is my husband."
I have seen him followed around a store more than once being profiled as suspicious. 

So no, my daily life looks nothing like his. When I am with him, I see things that I would never experience on a day to day basis. We have a two year old son and when he was born I had black and white people telling me, "Man, you guys are so lucky"...."So lucky that your son looks more like mommy." It pains every time I hear it because there is truth in their words. The lighter my son's skin is and the straighter his hair is, the safer his life is at this present time in America. This should break your heart, people. 

So here it is... A to-do list for white people: 

1. Grieve (with no racial bias) over all human lives that are lost unjustly

2. Black Lives Matter just as much as every other human life. I hope that soon we don't have to use this hashtag, but until all people are treated like the humans God created them to be this movement is important. We have to focus on the issue. 

3. White Political Leaders, White Religious Leaders, White Business men and women, White people with influence and platform, please stand up and speak. I'm going to be really transparent here and say white people like listening to white people. Hold meetings, have hard conversations, do research and get understanding, make changes in language and verbiage and the atmosphere that you allow around your business or your office.

4. Don't act like you know everything.  Do a heart check. Ask for forgiveness for any bitterness or hatred that is deeply rooted in your heart for either side. We should all be one side, the human race side. 

5. Get off of social media if you start to feel crazy. Media can play up and play down any situation and things can begin to get really messy. Let's not allow media to hurt our relationships with people. Their job is to have a hot and bloody story. Don't let it take your humanity away. 

There shouldn't be two sides. We should all be on the side of humanity. Thanks to our brutal history and the media, there is division. 
God made us all. He loves us all equally. He died for every single sin from slavery to murder to disrespect to lying to stealing to infidelity, etc. 
We have all fallen short. We have all sinned. Today let's open up our hearts and recognize and admit that there is a problem and let healing back in.