Ahmaud Arbery. His violent, unjust death has been in the national news all week. It’s hard to know what I should say, but silence wasn’t an option. First, to my African American readers, I am so sorry for the extreme grief you are feeling. I am from Georgia. Please do not let these two white Georgians represent all white Georgians. We are grieving with you.

As a white person it is very hard to comprehend the feeling of fear that African Americans experience in our country. However, this pandemic has given us a small taste of knowing fear every time we step outside our home. We can use social distancing, gloves, a mask, and hand-sanitizer to protect ourselves and others from coronavirus. But a person can never hide his skin color to protect himself from racists.

Will you join me in taking these actions?

• Contact your African American friends and simply say you are so sorry for their grief at this time and pray for them.
• Pray for justice in this case.
• Listen to reformed baptist African American Pastor John Onwuchekwa in Atlanta, GA discuss this tragedy briefly in this short podcast episode.
• Participate in #runwithMaud by running 2.23 miles.
• Do additional research on the African American experience throughout our country’s history to the present day to further grow in empathy.
• Pray for Ahmaud Arbery’s mom, Wanda Cooper-Jones, who is experiencing one of the worst Mother’s Days imaginable.