Significant Deaths Do Come in Threes

So,  like everyone else, I was stunned to learn

of Robin Williams' sad passing.

Ironic, shocking, tragic, but 

not totally surprising.

It made me think of my family and friends

capable of extreme highs and energy;

I know the dark places they are also capable

of going.

Dear Robin, Rest In Peace.

( wikipedia )

It was almost as if Robin was holding the door

for the next famous exit (or entrance,

depending on perspective)

when the news of Lauren Bacall's passing flashed across

my Smart Phone.  

Another familiar face, another sadness,

but also not so shocking.

She was an old woman, after all,

with plenty of accomplishments.

My she too rest in eternal beauty.

So,

I began wondering:

who's next?

Significant deaths do come in threes,

don't they?

It took me a couple days before I realized

the heavens had demanded the most significant first.

It was Michael Brown.

ktla

That's right.  Take a good look at his face.

He was the young man who was wrenched from his life,

ripping open the door of heaven,

creating that vacuum that 

sucked in the souls waiting to leave.

Michael Brown was not supposed to leave.

His passing has made him famous,

and the manner of his sad death

-- the saddest of the three --

reminds us that American society still

is fighting its greatest demon.

As a college instructor,

when I saw Michael Brown's face, I could easily

imagine him

sitting in the back of a freshman English class,

a little frightened, but excited,

ready to make new friends

and move forward.

Ready to make his parents proud.

There are thousands of Michael Browns walking the streets of the United States

of America,

armed only with dreams of a better future.

All those Michael Browns

run the risk 

every day

of being mistaken for a wanted man.

I'm sure they'd love to be anonymous,

as anonymous as I

writing whitely on my white screen with my white fingers.

I can get close to Michael Brown's family as easily as I can get close to Robin Williams' family.

Try as I may to share my deep sympathy with them,

I can never fully understand the road they've traveled,

from generation to generation

on their road to this undeserved fame.

Dear Michael, May the importance of your passing

not go unnoticed.  Just as Robin Williams' death

has demanded that we gain sympathy and understanding

for those who struggle with deep depression, may 

Michael Brown's passing 

demand that we gain an equal understanding

for the struggles and misunderstandings

black men face everyday they walk out their door,

in their sincere attempt to just get beyond it.

(this is about 25 minutes long,

but it's really worth watching)

without milk on 'em

yeah

Cheerios

wikipedia

without milk on 'em

they're better than

Fritos

cookforestcook

Please, quote me on this, if you agree!

Do I Look Suspicious -- God Bless You Trayvon

I have been silent lately,

but my heart is full.

I would like to say something about the shooting

of Trayvon Martin,

but I think the students at Howard University have said it better:

What follows is a modest attempt at commentary:

I recall when I moved back from Turkey to the USA,

in 2003,

my first position was a one year stint at a historically black university

in Mississippi. 

As someone who lived the bulk of my current life

in the North East, I found that year to be just as culturally illuminating

as four years in Turkey, if not more so.

Indeed, my culture shock recovery was deferred by a year,

as I moved into another culture, and was shocked even more profoundly,

NOT because of the experience of teaching primarily black students --

they were students, and they had dreams and goals,

and I was happy to help them, in whatever way I could --

but rather, I was stunned when I saw,  very vividly,

in grocery stores, empty swimming pools, churches,

and on the street,

that racism continues to be the biggest challenge facing the United States.

Every now and then, something happens like the murder 

of Trayvon Martin,

and that hidden illness surfaces.

It is our biggest challenge to face that illness

and find constructive, peaceful ways

to heal it.

Rest In Peace, 

dear Trayvon,

and best of luck to the students who made this video,

and all of the students in the USA,

who seek only peace

and respect,

as they work to create

a better future.