Current Events

Yesterday we had a serious discussion with our kids about racism, police brutality, and George Floyd's murder and the resulting protests and riots. We watched a news story that showed some of the violence that has erupted across the country, including here in Utah. I told them about the police car that was burned in downtown Salt Lake City, and the racist graffiti that showed up at a high school in Orem over the weekend.

One of the two cars that were burned when peaceful protests
turned violent in downtown SLC on Saturday.
(source)

But we also watched this video, an example of police officers marching peacefully alongside protesters in Michigan.

It was one of the hardest conversations I've had with my kids, but also one of the most important. We cried together. And we talked about how to be part of the solution: to stand up for what's right, to stand up for other people, and to do these things peacefully. We also talked about times when we've stood up for what's right in the past.

It so happened that I felt the need to have this talk with the kids on the day that we discussed Nehor and Amlici, and how Gideon and Alma stood up for what they believed, only fighting in defense of their lives, their families, and their freedom. What great examples they are for all of us.

I hope and pray that our country will find healing, and quickly. And I want to do more to be a proponent in that effort.