Published: June 13, 2020
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Dear Friends of human and civil rights: In 1953, my family moved to Denver, our parents with two daughters and our brother, born February 1954. We chose a home near the City Park golf course, unaware how many homes were not shown, because segregation by color was practiced.
Soon, real estate agents knocked on our door telling us black people would be moving into our neighborhood. We must relocate. My outraged parents told the agents we practiced equality; their racism must go.
We remained the only “white” family on our block. My sister and I gained neat friends to play with.
Fast forward to 2020. Why do black, brown, red, and Asian people still get mistreated due to color, culture, language, sexual identity, viewpoint? Do we not share the same humanity?
The saga of George Floyd was an eye opener, with his televised death by asphyxiation by Officer Derek Chauvin, accomplices, and a society that denies his people and many others the justice our democracy and Constitution promise.
His memorial service in a packed church ended with 8 ¾ minutes of silence, the period Chauvin’s knee compressed Mr. Floyd’s neck. His death generated protests worldwide.
We, the people of the world, must strive to save our soul and our planet Earth.
from Deborah Stucklen, Fort Collins Quakers (6/6/2020)