Monday motivation Bad weather in Atlanta kept me from getting home last night. I think God wanted me to have a minute to think about what happened this weekend. You might be expecting me to say something … inspiring … maybe something that would help us all make it through another work week. At the risk of disappointing or annoying you, I’ll transparently say that is not what you will get today. I’m simply motivated to grieve. “What happened this weekend?” Thanks for asking. Let me tell you a little about it. Our group walked the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma and toured the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, AL. I had not been to either place before. In case you don’t know, the Pettus Bridge is the site known for the historic ‘Bloody Sunday’, when white law enforcement violently attacked blacks peacefully protesting for the right to vote, just 60 years ago. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice is ‘dedicated to the legacy of Black Americans who were enslaved, terrorized by lynching, humiliated by racial segregation, and presumed guilty and dangerous. More than 4,400 Black people killed in racial terror lynchings between 1877 and 1950 are remembered here. Their names are engraved on more than 800 corten steel monuments—one for each county where a racial terror lynching took place.’ So yes, I am motivated to grieve, to feel anger and disgust. To feel hopeless and helpless like I’m sure the ancestors did. Yes, they were brave to stand up to injustice and fight for the rights of all people, not just black people. Don’t worry. I’ve got the inspirational and victorious parts of the story on lock. But what I can’t do today is ignore or suppress my and our grief from these traumas—these sensesless acts of violence and the death of so many, for so long. It all has an impact on us, individually and collectively. We have to do something. That’s for sure. But today — I grieve. How does my grief sound do you think? How does yours sound? All that’s coming through for me is an exasperated, “Why, God? Why?” I’m on my way home to NYC now — to do the work. How about you? #MondayMotivation
I grieve along with you, Branden Polk! (And it looks like I photo bombed one of your photos!) May we continue to dream of a beloved community as we do the work. Safe travels.
Lord have mercy! I grieve along with you, Branden Polk. Although it's getting harder, we have to keep our boots on the ground. We as a race will, RISE! #STAND
Branden, yeah I hear you.
❤️❤️
Thank you for sharing your deeply personal reflection, Branden Polk. Grieving is essential to acknowledging the past, and it motivates us to drive change for a better future.
Purpose-fueled Leader | Strategic Philanthropy Advisor | Fundraiser | Modern Elder-in-Training
1wAs I learned from Carla Fernandez, “If we do not grieve, we cannot be transformed by our grief.” Thank you for this powerful testimony and for being present to your grief in this moment. I also appreciate the reminder of the power of place — grateful for you.