“Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

I watched with the nation in horror,

the murder of a man in plain view.

There is a pit in my stomach, and my tears are not dry.

But know that I stand with you.


I don’t know where to start.

I don’t know what to do.

I don’t know what to say.

But just know I stand with you.


I am brokenhearted, tired and discouraged,

but have never walked a mile in your shoes.

So know that you can lean on me,

as I stand with you.


You are all my brothers and sisters,

and it matters not our hue.

Our heart’s the same, we all bleed red.

I’ll always stand with you.


But hear me…


The riots and looting is not the way

to get a message through.

There’s so much damage that has been done

that we cannot undo.

But where there is a peaceful protest,

I will stand with you.


And to all the men and women who wear blue,

that took time to listen, to pray, to cry,

to speak out, to hug, to protect,

that condemned the actions of the few.

I stand with you, too.


Because this is not an issue of

Us vs. Them or Black vs. Blue.

It’s an issue of Life vs. Death, and Right vs. Wrong,

of what we know to be true…


That injustice has plagued our country for centuries,

though our media may try to skew.

But I see it also. I can’t ignore it.

I have to stand with you.


Some deny it, hide it, turn a blind eye to it.

Some people just don’t have a clue.

You know of who I speak…

But I? I stand with you.


And when it’s time to take a knee,

like Kaepernick did for the world to see.

For George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.

This I can do.

I’ll kneel with you.


Out of respect for those taken unnecessarily, unjustly,

untimely, inhumanly.

It’s unthinkable and taboo.

So I’ll weep with you.


We all need to be the change this world so desperately demands,

otherwise this past weekend,

I’m afraid will merely be a preview.

So on my knees

I plead with you…


Pray fervently, protest peacefully, speak out passionately,

show kindness constantly, love zealously all of humanity

so as a nation we can pull through.

And when we do,

I’ll be standing with you.


This should not be another hashtag moment,

that gets lost in the retweet battle of what is true

Rather, it’s time to lean in and really listen

because true listening can be the glue


Between justice and legislation

that can affect civil rights change that is long overdue.

Make sure you vote and write your senators

so there is no way to misconstrue


The message of this mission

that intolerance will not do.

As a nation, we must do better

Our colors are not black and white,

but rather, they are red, white, and blue.


And the world is watching

to see what we will do

I don’t know where you are standing.

But as for me? I stand with you.