In Memoriam (George Floyd)

I'm Lory Ivey Alexander. Welcome to Black + Breathing. Today is May 25th, 2021. This is the first anniversary of George Floyd's murder. His memory continues to live on, but that day really was the last day of our lives as we knew them. It was a moment when Americans for the first time, in my lifetime, we're able to take to the streets, not because a new tragedy or something unusual actually happened, but because people had time. Because people have space to think and to breathe. COVID gave us a pause. A traumatic pause and violent pause, but a pause nonetheless. Because so many people were out of work, because so many children out of school, because so many colleges were virtual — for so many reasons — people were able to look America in its face and respond in real-time. I believe that one of the blessings of this horrible year has been the existential crisis that we've all shared. At some point, any being that is going to die must face it's mortality. Must realize that tomorrow may not come. What can I do today? I believe COVID provided that for most if not all of us. Suddenly, we had to stand in front of our own mirror seeing ourselves for what we are.

Unhurried. Unadorned. Without friends or appointments, or jobs, or titles. Just ourselves. And I believe that when we saw ourselves and when we saw America looking back at us in that mirror, Suddenly, suddenly, we said, “no more.”

I hope that through the return to normalcy and in a post-vaccine world. I hope that we can retain some semblance of sanity.

America is so insane. But I still have hope. If I didn't have hope, I'm not sure where I would be. So I must hold on. On this first anniversary of George Floyd's death. I want to honor him. I want to honor us. I want to honor all of the people who have been lost. I want to honor all of the people who found themselves.

I believe firmly that even if we have nothing, we always have love. And we can give of it freely. And we must, for our very survival. But as I've said before, life is about more than just surviving.

In order to find what there is beyond survival, we must acknowledge our mortality. We must acknowledge that a human being must choose to be. Not to do, not to say, not to rule, but to be.

I emphasize the word choose because I believe that it is a choice. I believe that it is necessary choice. I believe it is a hard choice. But I also believe that is a choice.

That we can choose to numb ourselves, we can choose to turn our brains off. We can choose to wait for that click, when everything goes black.

But I believe that that is not the way. I believe that that way only leads to more George Floyds.

I believe that that version of ourselves is one we can't look in the mirror.

If not now, when?

If not you, who?

If not us, why?

If tomorrow should come, may we all have the courage to stand up. May we all have the courage to take our nation into our own hands, to recognize what power we have small, though it may be.

On this, the first anniversary of the brutal strangulation of George Floyd, I wish you peace.

I wish you life.

I wish you breath.

I wish you air.

I invite you to take a long inhale through your nose.

And to take a long exhale, through your mouth, feeling deep within you. Every organ. Every muscle.

Every fiber.

I invite your whole body. To sigh.

I invite you to imagine that you can hear your whole entire being letting out the deepest, most authentic, audible sigh. Releasing all of the tension in your body, allowing your body to breathe, allowing the air to use you. Connecting with the Earth from which you came.

Being.

Thank you for joining me. I'm Lory Ivey Alexander, and this has been Black + Breathing.