I am no different than that police officer

“I’m white. This is not my story.” Heard about the current protests over the killing of George Floyd.

As I see it, it’s this story - that it’s not our story - that underlies these protests. Some people feel separate from the current events, that the killing of George Floyd doesn’t affect them, that the protests aren’t about them, that this pain, hurt and anger expressed right now are not theirs, that they are separate from these.

I believe the exact opposite.

This IS our story!!!!! Regardless of how we define and label ourselves! It’s the story of our humanity.

In prison, the prison residents say “Our disconnection from humanity makes it easy to lash out at it.”

The events of Memorial Day weekend and since then are a result of our disconnection from humanity. People take actions thinking they are superior of another. They think that their thoughts, words and actions matter more than that of others.

Our disconnection from humanity is the problem that underlies our separation, our isolation and therefore the violence that exists towards one another.

The solution is simple: to reconnect with our humanity.

I go into maximum- and high-security prison, which houses a large number of black and brown men, who - if I generalize and stereotype - come from south central LA, dropped out of school, have addicted and abusive parents… They have not had the opportunities of a white woman with an Ivy League education and who calls several continents home. And yet, we’re able to connect, laugh at the lost in translation caused by our differences and recognize our similarities.

More than our skin color and socio-economic backgrounds can separate us, we’re brought together by our humanity, our love for each other and our commitment to becoming even greater human beings than we already are.

On my team, there are folks from different gangs who have vowed to kill each other. And yet they are able to see the humanity of the other person and to recognize that they are so much more powerful together than they are separate.

It’s time that we move past this disconnection from humanity. And move into recognizing that we are no different than the other person!

I am no different than that violent protester. I am no different than that peaceful protester.

I am no different than George Floyd. I am no different than that police officer.

How can I hold them in my heart? And recognize that they are a mirror to a part of me that I likely don’t like seeing?

How do I use this anger to fuel my compassion instead of my violence?

Invitation: Recognize the humanity in each of us. And this dissolves the disconnection from humanity. And it becomes impossible to lash out at others.

This is part of a series. I realized that I have a unique perspective into confinement thanks to my past 4.5 years engaging several times a week with the world's leading experts on confinement: prison residents. In April, I provided a daily lesson learned in prison that will hopefully help us to survive and even thrive while confined to our homes. Since then, these lessons have been weekly. Go forward and back to enjoy each daily lesson.