The racism and the hate we've seen these past few days has been mind-numbing and heartbreaking.

A woman told police she was being threatened "by an African American man." The man had asked her to put her dog on a leash. The consequences of that call to police could have been deadly.
Kentucky gun owners who do not like COVID-19 restrictions hung in effigy the governor on state capitol grounds.
A Minneapolis police officer felt entitled to kneel on George Floyd’s neck for 7 minutes, despite the man saying he couldn't breathe. George, a black man, was killed.

It is hard to retell these stories, to read them and see them. But we can't turn away. We can't ignore the hate and systemic racism crippling our country.

Unlike the silence of Andy Biggs and Donald Trump, I will always use my voice to condone such hateful acts and work to move us forward, unified and together.

I wish I could snap my fingers and the blatant racism and lives lost would stop. It won't happen that way, but we can and we must work together to bring solutions.

We need elected officials who will commit to an open door policy with a seat at the table for everyone.

We need elected officials who will speak up for justice.

We must stop being a 'Country of Me' and become a 'Country of We.'

To be the community and the country that I know we are, we must treat strangers like neighbors and neighbors like family.

Be kind and be safe,
- Joan Greene