Intersection of COVID-19, social unrest should be eye-opening for Tacoma
The last four years of the Trump administration have illuminated to some and exposed to others that we are nowhere near a harmonious nation.
With the deaths of Brionna Taylor, George Floyd and many others at the hands of law enforcement, we watched, screamed and cried from afar. But when we learned this happened in our own community to Manny Ellis, we were faced with the ugly truth that we too have a problem that has not been addressed.
One may call it an instance of injustice, but this is more than an instance. It is an example of the hard truth that our community truly mirrors our nation and that systematic oppression rules the day in Tacoma.
This summer, day after day, night after night, we grabbed our BLM signs and hit the streets in protest. We discussed the need for changes in policies, and we began to engage in open and frank conversations about racial inequities.
And still this was not and is not enough. Signs, marches, difficult conversations and protests have a place in the pursuit of justice, but without an inward examination of individual contributions to racial oppression, both implicit and explicit, our community will continue to fall short of the goal of justice.
COVID-19 has forced us to slow down and reassess the very systems in which we live in and operate and how those systems are functioning as designed to the detriment of communities of color, in particular African Americans.
Many Americans have lost their jobs and have just about lost their homes. And just think, for many African Americans and other communities of color, this very real sense of instability and uncertainty has been reality for generations.
For the first time, several white households who never considered the possibility of living this reality now find themselves face to face with similar experiences.
This historical moment provides us an opportunity to truly change who we are as a nation, as Tacomans and as individuals. We must begin to see that we are in this together despite the societal current that pulls towards individualism and a propensity towards “othering”.
This is a fearful time for many of us for many different reasons, as no one could’ve prepared for what 2020 has brought. COVID-19 has illuminated our mortality, heightened feelings of isolation and for many brought great loss among families.
It is important to recognize the uniqueness of these times and simultaneously hold the complexity of the familiar. African Americans and other communities of color have had to navigate these fears and continue to do so outside the context of COVID-19.
Police brutality and excessive use of force by law enforcement, job discrimination, housing inequalities and mass incarceration are only a few of the societal norms that contribute to our fear and threaten our pursuit of happiness.
You may ask, where does this leave you or what do you do next? The truth is there isn’t just one answer. There are several ways to make progress, and they are closely associated with the intersections of privilege and marginalization.
It’s important to challenge yourself and settle into discomfort as you come face to face with injustices in which you have existed and maybe even thrived.. The white majority has the responsibility of changing systems that have benefited them through the normalization of racism.
Ultimately, COVID-19 may have very well brought about a once-in-a-lifetime generational awakening. So what side of Tacoma’s history will you fall on?
Dorian Waller is a Tacoma resident of more than 20 years, an Evergreen State College double graduate, a managing partner with Tacoma-based Archway Consulting Group and a member of the Washington State Commission on African American Affairs.