A LOVE LETTER TO MY PEOPLE
As we sit in the aftermath of losing one of our amazing civil
rights icons, Representative John Robert Lewis, I cannot help but to remember
his courage and his sacrifice. As a
benefactor of his tenacity, selflessness, and bravery I am left both humbled
and inspired. How does a man raise
himself from the poverty and injustice of the racist south, to be a U.S.
Representative in the 5th Congressional District for over 30 years?
Can we just take the time to think about this for a minute? Here is a man who grew up in a time when he
was denied freedoms which should be given to every human being: the freedom to
eat where you want, freedom to sit on a
bus where ever you want, and the freedom to choose who you want to lead the
country in which you live, all of which we seem to take for granted today and
none of which we would have, if it were not the boldness and bravery of men and
women such as Representative Lewis. I stand
in awe of the greatness of the courageous, beautiful black men and women who
boldly demanded what should have been given freely. They are truly the epitome of honor, courage,
and selflessness.
Those great men and women did not just fight for themselves, but for all of us who came after them and those who will come after us. So, I am compelled to ask those who benefit from their sacrifice, what do you stand, and who are you fighting for? How are you paying it forward for the next generations? Are you paying if forward by killing and destroying your own people? Does it take courage and sacrifice to get in a car and drive by a house and shoot a man in a wheelchair and his pregnant niece as they sit on the porch in their neighborhood talking? Is it love and charity to shoot a 3-year old in the head because someone cut you off on the highway? Is it wisdom to stand up, tear down and loot your own neighborhoods where you shop and benefit from the closeness of their proximity?
Those great men and women did not just fight for themselves, but for all of us who came after them and those who will come after us. So, I am compelled to ask those who benefit from their sacrifice, what do you stand, and who are you fighting for? How are you paying it forward for the next generations? Are you paying if forward by killing and destroying your own people? Does it take courage and sacrifice to get in a car and drive by a house and shoot a man in a wheelchair and his pregnant niece as they sit on the porch in their neighborhood talking? Is it love and charity to shoot a 3-year old in the head because someone cut you off on the highway? Is it wisdom to stand up, tear down and loot your own neighborhoods where you shop and benefit from the closeness of their proximity?
What happened to the love and respect we had for one another?
I dare say people who behave in this manner, not only do they not respect their people, but they also lack self-respect, self-love, and have completely given up hope. When you shoot and kill your own people, is your life made any better? Has your condition changed for the better when you loot stores in which you shop, your mother shops? Now what may have taken 10 minutes, take over an hour because you must take a bus or walk further.
I implore my people to step back and truly search yourselves. How are you serving your community and
yourself by committing these vile acts of cowardness and self- hatred? Yes, that is what you are, a COWARD and a
HATER of YOURSELF and of YOUR people. You stand for nothing, you accomplish nothing
and as Malcolm X said, “a man who stands for nothing will fall for anything”.
I write this to my people to tell you we MUST fill in the
gap. We must stand up for one another,
for righteousness, for hope, and love.
We must take up the mantle which Martin, Malcolm, Huey, Medgar, and John
has left behind. Our story has not ended
with them, but we must rewrite the chapter we are dictating; one hopelessness,
doubt and hatred. We must stand up for
one another with love, respect, and unity.
We must be our brother’s keeper, and most of all, we must find out who
we are and who our God is, put on the breast plate of righteousness and be
about our Father’s business. Because
then and only then, can we truly change the world.
Black Men, I ask you to stand up and be men. Get you son’s off the street corners. Teach them to love themselves and be the
strong leaders they were created to be. Stop
abdicating your place as the head of the household, be husbands to your wives
and protectors to your daughters.
Black Women, support your husbands and raise your children. Uplift your fellow Black women and teach your daughters how to be help mates to the Black man. Teach them to love themselves and not to let anyone put them in a box and put a label on them. Tell them they are good enough; they don’t need weave, or to be lighter, they don’t need to be thinner or thicker. Whatever God gave them, it is GOOD ENOUGH.
Black Women, support your husbands and raise your children. Uplift your fellow Black women and teach your daughters how to be help mates to the Black man. Teach them to love themselves and not to let anyone put them in a box and put a label on them. Tell them they are good enough; they don’t need weave, or to be lighter, they don’t need to be thinner or thicker. Whatever God gave them, it is GOOD ENOUGH.
Black People, let us be of good courage, let us learn wisdom
and seek knowledge. Through them, we
will gain faith and hope, we will find out who we are and what we are meant to
do. Let us lead by example because even
if we don’t realize it, WE ARE THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM.
Sincerely and with much love,
Lyris D. Wallace
