I wrote my first op-ed in The Virginia Gazette back in June 2020. In addition to the pandemic, there was also a racial reckoning taking place following the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Tensions were high, and it was as if a Band-Aid had been ripped off an old wound — one that never fully healed to begin with. Many of us in the Williamsburg community wanted to do something, but we didn’t know where to begin. Two of my neighbors approached me about starting a local Be the Bridge group, a nonprofit organization focused on racial reconciliation from a biblical standpoint. We advertised our plan and gauged community interest. When it was all said and done, our group consisted of four Black women, four white women and one biracial woman.
Over the course of 10 weeks, we used our study guide and let it take us on a journey that was both intimate and sacred. Together, we talked openly and honestly about the history of this country. We discussed some of the most painful chapters of American history, the triumphs weaved throughout, and how our past still affects our present. The conversations were almost never easy, as we each had different perspectives and experiences that brought us to this shared moment. However, we were all committed to making a difference in our community — one conversation at a time. We laughed, we cried and we lamented. Women from different places, on opposite sides of the aisle, and spanning several generations came together to have difficult conversations. We will forever be bonded by the summer of 2020, when we set aside our differences and really listened to one another.
Facing the truth and listening to the perspectives of those who are different from us is not an easy thing to do. It certainly wasn’t easy for my Be the Bridge group. But it is the necessary thing for all of us to do if we want to move forward as a country instead of moving backward. Slavery existed in America, just as it has in many other countries around the world — this is a matter of fact. It was gruesome and inhumane, and it all started right here in the Historic Triangle. While it is a shameful truth, it is one that we should not shield our children from.
Instead of banning books and altering the history curriculums in our public schools, we should focus on teaching our kids how resilient this country is. Just because we acknowledge the reality and shame of American slavery, doesn’t mean we have to sit in that shame. Making our children aware of some of the darkest chapters of American history does not mean that the story ends there. It is still unfolding, and our kids have the power to write the next chapter. By exposing them to all parts of U.S. history, we can actually show our children that even in the midst of hate and bigotry, our country can continue to overcome. In addition, we can encourage them to become change-makers and stand up for what’s right. Using the past as an example, we can learn from previous mistakes and improve upon them for everyone’s benefit. When we give kids the opportunity to learn and develop their own opinions, we empower them.
My family and I recently attended the local Juneteenth celebrations around our community. Watching people from various backgrounds and varying complexions laugh, cry and celebrate reminded me that we can work together to actually pursue a more perfect union for us all. I was even more convinced that when we come together to acknowledge what was, we can collectively move forward to change what is and what will be. In order to not repeat history, we must confront it head on, and that starts with telling the truth.
Over 200 years ago, our Founding Fathers penned these words in the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Even though they set out to create a more perfect union, as a country, we can acknowledge that the Founding Fathers did not include Black people or even women in their words. President Abraham Lincoln took a bold step forward by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation and setting our country on a path to true freedom for all of its citizens. And just as Lincoln had the courage to do what was right in the face of adversity, we as Americans have an obligation to do the same.
History has its eyes on us, and we have a chance to set the record straight. Ultimately, our kids will want to know what we did or what we said to better our nation when we had the opportunity. In addition to telling them the truth, be a role model for them and show them how acknowledging our past can be the first step in combating inequality. In the words of famous American writer and activist James Baldwin, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
Dr. Jade L. Ranger is a pharmacist at The Prescription Shoppe, a full-service pharmacy which she owns with her husband. She is mom to two boys, ages 5 and 9, and recently published her first book, “Mustard Seed Mentality,” available at Amazon.com.
