WWYD- What Would You Do?

As I reflect on this past week, it is hard to even type proper words onto this page. Is there really adequate words you can say or express? Together, we watched a man named George Floyd die right before our eyes. An unarmed & restrained black man fighting for air & crying for help.

I have wondered if & how I should respond to this because in the year 2020, everyone has an opinion. Everyone voices that opinion. If your opinion does not line up with mainstream media, you could be labeled as selfish, inconsiderate, unloving, judgmental, hypocritical, the names could go on & on. 

But that is not what this post is about. This post is a reminder that we as human beings have basic rights. There is nothing that should change the basis of those human rights. Nothing.

We all know that what happened was wrong. Point blank. Evil. Heartbreaking. If your heart didn't drop to your stomach while watching the video, you may be part of the problem. 

What I want to address today is a comment I heard about the whole situation. The man discussing the event said "I wish I knew why so many were standing around doing nothing." "Why didn't they stop this?" "Why did they stand back and watch?" 

[[Before I go any further, I would like to address that discussing racial issues or concerns can be very uncomfortable. I really do not want to offend anyone. I wonder "Should I say black & white or should I be more formal and say African American & Caucasian?" For the sake of time & the fact that this blog is very informal, I will use black & white when referencing race.]]

My answer to the above questions are simple. No one did anything to help George Floyd because they couldn't. They were scared. They were terrified. After viewing most of the video, I saw that the crowd was primarily black men & women. I may be wrong but I did not see any white men or women there other than the officers.

How is a black man or woman supposed to help a black man being unjustly restrained & is struggling for air? All a black man needed to do was approach the officer & they could have been on the ground struggling for air, too. It could have been them, too, struggling for air and crying out "I CAN'T BREATHE!" It could have been them, too, laying lifeless on a stretcher as NO ONE attempted lifesaving measures like CPR.

But what if a white man or woman was there?

I really hate to bring this up but it is true. I will just say it. White privilege. 

Would we like to think it doesn't exist? Yes.

But does that change the fact that it DOES exist? No.

What if a white man or woman calmly approached the officer and said "Can I please check on him? I am afraid he is not breathing?"

As a white woman with a medical degree, could I have said "Sir... I am a nurse. Can I please assess man? Can I check his pulse? I do not think he is breathing?" Would I have been assaulted to the ground in the same way a black man may have? Probably NOT.

The point I am trying to make is this:

White privilege is a thing. It does exist.

What are we going to do about it?

Should we stand up & use it to our advantage when necessary?

This made me think.. "Allyson, would YOU have helped him?"

I want to say yes. I would like to say that I would use my gender & my race & my medical background to the highest advantage point in order to help a fellow brother or sister of mine. If you are in the medical field, this should be in your blood. It should be an impulse or almost a reflex to help someone in an emergent situation. 

This case is significantly different. If you approach this the wrong way, you too could be laying on the ground handcuffed, looking at charges or even sitting in a jail cell. But would a white man or woman be on the ground struggling to breathe for approaching an officer? My thoughts are no.

So WWYD, my fellow friend? Would you sit back and watch? Would you yell & scream? Would you call 911 for MORE back up & MORE help? Would you step in & get closer? Would you run to George despite all consequences to ensure he is breathing and alive?

When you take a fire safety class, they recommend you planning ahead. Making a route & plan in case of a fire in your home. When you take a CPR class, you are given make-believe scenarios to practice. When you are taking a gun safety or concealed to carry course, you are asked to THINK. What would you do? Would you wait till you are attacked to shoot and protect yourself?

Many courses regarding the protection & safety of your life require you to THINK AHEAD. WWYD?? When we don't think ahead, our brains do not know how to handle the stress. Many people often freeze. I know I do. My response is often to FREEZE. That is why we must think about these things.

If another George Floyd situation is happening right before your eyes, WWYD? Would you try to intervene and help as safely as possible? How far involved would you become? Would you fight for those who  C A N' T  B R E A T H E? 

I am not saying we should get physical with officers. I am not saying we should rebel. I am not saying we should riot & kill others in the process in the name of George Floyd (a peaceful & gentle man). I AM saying we should STAND UP & we should THINK. "What could I have done if I were in that situation to help?" "Does being white give me an advantage to help in ways that a black man or woman could not?"

I am asking you to think now. Think now because this could happen again. If it does, we need to be ready. We need to know what is right from wrong. We need to stand up for the innocent & stand against the unjustly. 

As a Christian woman, I believe that WWYD should be very similar to WWJD. Our actions should be a Christ-like example. Every fiber in our being should be to grow more in Christ each day. To have our hearts & minds cleansed daily so that we are more like Jesus. Do you think Jesus would have stood there and watched? 

When I first created our Facebook page for our foster care/parenthood journey, I had a hard time picking a name. I chose "The Least of These" for many reasons. The name encompasses who we should be in Christ. We should also seek to take care of our brothers & sisters in Christ. Sometimes, that may look like working at a homeless shelter. Sometimes it may look like bringing a meal to a sick church member. Sometimes it may look like taking care of orphans (or in today's world foster children). & Sometimes it looks like helping people like George Floyd.

I have looked at this verse over & over but sometimes forget the flip side of the verse. 

Matthew 25:40-45:

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

When we all make it to that glorious day where we are sitting at the throne of Jesus, we will be judged for what we did here on earth. We also will be judged for what we did NOT do.

Compared to eternity in Heaven, we are only here on Earth for a little while. We get one life here so make what you do count.