Sonya Massey called 911 because she was concerned she was in danger in her home.
When police arrived, she was in danger.
Massey was executed in her kitchen by officer Sean Grayson, a man who had been previously discharged from the Army for serious misconduct, had pled guilty to two DUIs, and been referred to take “high-stress decision” classes by a past police department.
Not only did Grayson and other responding officers woefully fail the 36-year old mother of two teenagers when she was at her most vulnerable, they killed her without any efforts to deescalate the charged situation that they themselves created, and they showed a complete disregard for her after her death.
And in a week where my social media feeds exploded with boundless enthusiasm over Kamala Harris’ announced presidential campaign, Sonya Massey’s name and face were far less prominent, especially among white people.
Most sharing their grief and anger at such a clear display of the sickening consequences of systemic racism were other Black women, reminding us that this nation has never been a place where people of color have felt truly safe in the presence of law enforcement—and for good reason.
The lack of visible and vocal white outrage at Sonya Massey’s murder has me asking the question:
Is America truly ready for a woman of color as president?
Are we expecting too much from a nation that still seems more invested in white supremacy than in Democracy, as evidenced by Donald Trump’s steadfast support among White Christian conservatives?
In an America where people of color do not feel protected by white law enforcement, can Kamala Harris galvanize enough white voters who are truly burdened to dismantle the racism embedded in our foundation, one we have been complicit in and benefitted from?
Honestly, I confess that I have my doubts even as there are encouraging signs that renovation is happening.
It’s been a beautiful surprise seeing the way the Vice President’s candidacy has been embraced by White people, with the #AnswerTheCall and #WhiteDudesForHarris movements among a number of high-profile efforts to mobilize voters. It was something we might not have seen a few years ago, and that in itself makes this moment feel different, giving us all cause for cautious hope.
I want to believe this nation has finally reached a collective moral clearing: that after nearly two hundred-and-fifty years, we are ready to reject misogyny and racism once-and-for-all and to elect a qualified, poised, intelligent woman of color to our highest office.
But that aspiration is tempered by the reality that Sonya Massey should be alive right now and by the realization that power and prejudice combined to violently end her life in her home.
The relative silence in the face of her murder, makes me question if enough white Americans are truly ready to face the ugliness of who we have been, who in many ways we still are, and to build something better together.
The only way that a more humane version of our country will be possible is if enough white people condemn and oppose the dehumanization that visited Sonya Massey and that still shows up millions of times a day in less visible or glaring moments.
We need to inventory our own hearts, directly engage those in our circles of influence, and confront the darkest parts of our nation.
Every time we see and hear and speak and share about Kamala Harris, we should remember and talk about Sonya Massey. We should grieve her death and feel fury over the way she left this place.
On the campaign trail, Kamala Harris has confidently declared that we are not going back as a nation.
With every fiber of my being I hope she’s right.
And if she is, Sonya Massey should have lived to see it.
-- John Pavlovitz, The Beautiful Mess
