Dear Friends:
I think you know that I don’t like to overload your inbox, but the situation here in the Twin Cities—as well as across much of America—warrants this short message.
On Friday night, I stood at the corner of Lake Street and Park Avenue in Minneapolis and watched a man torch vehicles behind a building. I then went and interviewed several people on the street asking, “Why are you here?”
The answers pointed to one overriding theme—the lack of justice and fairness for people of color and/or who are from marginalized communities. They were frustrated by decades of inaction. And, they were also afraid: as one African American man related, he had a seven-year-old son at home and feared that soon, his son would be “fair game” for the police.
If you want to see the results of my interviews (and pictures) from Friday night, and then yesterday afternoon, go to Twitter @elliekrug.
I believe that Minnesota in particular, but America in general, are at a crossroads. We must comprehensively deal with the systemic issue of why so many humans favor white-color skin over other skin colors. As a country, we’ve never truly had a national conversation about this, or about what it means to be “Other.”
We must start somewhere. Accordingly, because I cannot just simply sit back and wait for others to act, I call upon Minnesota’s Governor Tim Walz to create a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to tackle the problem of racism in our state. You can read about my proposal
here
.
Additionally, I have a Ten Point Plan for changing how Minnesotans (and Americans) relate to each other. You can read about that plan
here
.
Finally, from an emotional standpoint, this has been an exceedingly difficult time for so many here in the Twin Cities. People are hurting. Our state is hurting. We are at a crossroads and must have bold, imaginative action. Without that, I fear for what the future holds.
Be safe my friends. I care about you!
ellie
