This week, Drew's Take Tuesday will not be about sports, but that will become apparent as to why when you reach the end of the article.
Our world has been rocked to its core with the COVID-19 pandemic. This past week the United States (and Canada by proximity and similar culture) were rocked to their cores by serious events across the nation.
The nations have been affected by the death of George Floyd and the ensuring aftermath affecting our society. If you are unaware of these events, I encourage you to read up on them, but please be responsible and read from multiple sources. While contemplating the events, in association with listening to the band Switchfoot and the Tony Kornheiser Show, some things have become apparent to me.
The thing that hit me first was the words of a prominent Black sports personality, Michael Wilbon. Wilbon said today on the Tony Kornheiser show that sports don't matter to him right now. That is quite an understandable position for him to take. Wilbon referenced occasions on which he had been racially profiled by police. Wilbon was captivating and I recommend to anyone to listen to the June 1, 2020 edition of the Tony Kornheiser Show, it brought to mind two thoughts. The first is that one is too many. Any unnecessary death is too many, and if we can't see that as a culture and society, we are doomed. The second is what it is going to take to bring about change, and maybe the riots are what is needed, but maybe it is something else, as nothing has changed yet. The non-negotiable fact is that this needs to change.
The other man to hit me with his words today (though they were written years ago) was Jon Foreman, frontman of the band Switchfoot. The lyrics of Switchfoot's "Looking for America" lyrics rang in my head: "Land of the free, home of the brave/But Lord knows that we need plenty change/'Cause plenty chains in the past leaving deep scars..." "Beaten red white and blue for the green we pursue/I'm still looking for you/America who are you?/Underneath the red blue and white?/America who are you?/I wonder who you are tonight/America who are you?/Is God still on your side?/I want to see a nation rise above the fear and fight that haunts these streets tonight/I'm looking for America/I'm looking for a place to breathe in/A place I could call my home/I'm looking for America/I'm looking for the land of freedom/A place I can call my own/I'm looking for America/Headlines that I can't believe in/But I'm still holding on to hope/I'm looking for a miracle...I'm looking for America"
I love letting lyrics speak for themselves, especially Jon Foreman's, and that is what I am going to let them do.
Our culture needs to change in this regard. Help be the change.
La Cheeserie, Littles
Fight On, Sleepers
Black Lives Matter
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