Coral Evans: My Thoughts on the Way Forward

I want to take a moment to acknowledge what’s going on here in Flagstaff and around the country.  I understand the anger and the fear, I am a black mother and my heart breaks for the families of Dion Johnson, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many more. 

My twin brother is a black man, I grew up in the projects. I also have friends who are police officers. Reducing any group to a monolith is not helpful, we must acknowledge one another’s humanity. 

This country was founded on revolutionary ideas, the idea that everyone is created equal and entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Centuries later it is still a revolutionary idea that all of us, regardless of the color of our skin, are created equal. It is a promise that has yet to be met, but it gives us something to strive for. 

The way forward requires us to respect each other’s anger, fear, and pain. It requires a radical acceptance of each other’s humanity and inalienable rights. 

We need to make sure every child, regardless of where they live, has access to a high quality public education so that they can grow up to be the innovators and citizens of tomorrow. We need to make sure that families can thrive and have economic security. We move forward by working together to make sure everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

I ask that you be kind to one another, to be patient with one another. Get involved with our community and help build the bonds that will move us forward as a community. I would also encourage everyone to get involved with local governments. There is much we can do at a local level to shape the community we want and these elections are often decided by a small number of votes. There are policies we can put in place, reforms we can initiate. We can demand funding for schools and after school programs. Get involved, do the work, and together we can make change.

Thank you,

Coral

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