#IRunWithMaud

Happy Tuesday #Jontourage,

​Welcome back to the “Classy Gent Chronicles”, where staying classy is the only way to be. In this week’s edition, read about how I spent my last Friday and the greater meaning behind it.

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Last week, I participated in the #IRunWithMaud initiative.  For those of you who may not be aware, Ahmaud Arbery (an African American male) was killed by two white males while he was jogging.  He was killed on February 23, 2020.  The situation hit hard for me because I exercise outdoors pretty much every day.  On top of that, I live in a predominately white area so that really could have been me. 
Since I work at a university, I posted a video on my department’s Instagram page to encourage students to get involved.  The response was truly overwhelming.  The video received over 100 shares and almost 200 likes.  The day of the challenge, over 35 people participated in walking at least 2.23 miles to honor the life of Ahmaud Arbery and shared their results with us.  Although the #IRunWithMaud initiative went well, it opens the door to additional dialogue. 

As a society, how can we work on this issue of racism in our nation?  Here is my take on some things we can do as a nation, especially as people of color:
 

1. We must speak up early and often.  Participate in peaceful protests.  Don’t just send one email.  Don’t just make one call.  Don’t just write one letter.  Speak up at your workplace and in your neighborhood when you see discriminatory things happen. We must be consistent and show that we are not tolerating it.
2. We must pay attention to our local politics.  Although there is a demand that the White House and Supreme Court do right by people of color, we must also hold our mayors, council representatives, local sheriffs and local judges to the same standards of excellence.
3. Consider how you spend.  Money plays a big role in everything, especially the private prison system.  Many companies are investors in private prisons including prison labor so when you shop at certain stores, you are indirectly funding the prison system.

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Moral of the story: Of course there are a million and one factors that play into the issues we have but everyone can do something to help make things improve.

Remember, in order to live out your dreams, you have to think it, feel it, live it! Until next time, stay classy...

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