‘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.’

A bold statement, put forth by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration Of Independence, that represents the core concept our nation was founded on. Very progressive for the time, yet in retrospect we can’t help but see it for it’s flaws. The subtle, undeniable taint of racial hypocrisy and sexism detracts from the underlying virtue of the thought behind it.

We’ll have to forgive that imperfect document because it planted the hopeful seed that bloomed into the American dream. The founders struggle against tyranny, the pursuit of religious and economic freedoms and the protection of the rights each citizen under the law are among the most American of ideals, in spite of any recent propaganda to the contrary.

The Revolution that started this country also marked the beginning of a cultural evolution. Our system of government was founded almost in anticipation of the series of civilized sea changes that would follow. Those disenfranchised communities, ignored and excluded in the founding documents, eventually had their own version of the Declaration Of Independence in the form of a Constitutional Amendment.

Eventually we arrived upon the collective conclusion that it’s only just and proper that each individual should have the same rights and protection under the law. Today there’s an overwhelming majority of us who agree this is the goal we should be striving for, that ensuring this is not only the right thing to do, it serves our collective self-interest.

We each now share the solemn, patriotic duty to stand-up and demand equal treatment not only for ourselves but for others who may not yet enjoy those same privileges. We’re further down the path now than ever before towards achieving the goal of equality, but we are also very clearly not there yet.

I’m not black. I won’t pretend to know what that feels like, but I can recognize injustice when I see it. I don’t see how anyone could watch a video of a man being slowly killed by someone whose job it is to protect and serve the community and not be angry. Anyone with a shred of decency should be horrified and disgusted by that, especially when you recognize how it fits into the ongoing pattern of social injustice.

I respect police officers. They have a difficult job, and most of them do it the right way and for the right reasons. I cannot condone the reckless use of violence and deadly force, especially disproportionately against individuals of color, but I will recognize that none of us is perfect. They may be put in a life or death situation where fear and adrenaline may cause them to make a rash and regrettable decision. There’s undoubtedly cases where a lack of training, fear for one’s life and a loaded firearm have led to a terrible and unintended outcome. But this was not that. Not at all.

I see nothing but hate in that video. There’s no empathy there, just pure, vitriolic, dehumanizing bile. It’s uncomfortable to witness because it means as far as we’ve come, that type of ugliness can still exist within us. We all need to recognize and confront that in our own way, because we can’t live in a world where that’s okay. I share the anger and frustration that’s so clearly shown in these recent protests. This cannot continue.

I can also understand why many are anxious to turn the page. Issues involving race can be uncomfortable, but we can’t close our eyes and expect the world to change. What we do next means something. We cannot and should not lose focus until we have taken action and put the proper guardrails in place to ensure this never happens again. In order to ensure our future together, we need to make it absolutely crystal clear… THAT is not who we are. That. Cannot. Stand.

The past is filled with pain, and while we cannot undo it, we must learn from it. We can’t just flip a switch and solve this problem, but we can take steps today to build a better tomorrow. As tempting as it is to retreat from all the tribalism and ugliness, none of us can afford sit this one out. Because if you’re not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

We should recognize this as part of a continuum stretching back to the dawn of our species. We’re battling for the very soul of humanity. As such, we must iterate and continue to strive towards the propagation, preservation and protection of it’s most noble ideals: truth, justice, integrity and equality. Regardless of our race or gender or sexual orientation, we all have a role to play. Whether these recent events have made you feel shame or anger or guilt or fear, or all those emotions at the same time, consider that your call to action. You are a good person. Help push us forward.

But what can we do other than march? Many changes don’t require a sign or a megaphone. You can start by listening and learning, educating yourself on the facts or understanding the perspective of others. You can write your representatives or show your support on social media. Or it can even be even more subtle, modifying your behavior and your interactions with others.

Speaking personally, there have been moments in my life where people have uttered a racist joke or comment in my presence. When I heard those words and recognized the thoughts behind them it was jarring, and I remember feeling a wave of shock and disgust sweep through me. I felt physically sick, and I instantly lost all respect for those individuals.

What I regret most is that I did not have the courage in that moment to confront that hatred, to speak-up and correct the record. Only in retrospect do I recognize how my silence could have been interpreted as assent, and the fact I missed that opportunity to potentially make a difference fills me with shame.

People of good conscience can’t continue to allow those hateful thoughts go unchallenged. To be silent, to be still is to be complicit in the perpetuation of that hateful ideology. It is not okay to mock or diminish someone because of their race, gender or LGBTQ status, and we need for them to know that. Immediately.

There are those among us that fear change, that are convinced that disrupting the status quo somehow threatens their opportunities or the cultural identity of our country. But as we’ve seen over and over, the right side of history is the one that leans toward progress. You can find that in the Dream of Martin Luther King, the imagination of John Lennon, the leadership of John F. Kennedy and the courage of Rosa Parks.

One hundred years from now, I hope history will say we recognized this moment and did not shrink. Let them see how we stepped forward, together, to confront the societal cancers of injustice and hate.

We hold these truths to be self-evident: We are all equal, and each of us should fight to ensure and protect the unalienable, civil rights of our fellow individuals.

And Liberty And Justice For All.