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12 | JUNE 11 • 2020
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Perhaps government
officials responded to the
protests in honor of George
Floyd’
s life with tear gas
because they felt threat-
ened by the fact that black
Americans were finally
gaining their breath. Perhaps
the long-term effects of tear
gas on the respiratory sys-
tem is the only way for lead-
ers of our institutions — the
institutions our country was
built on — to take the breath
away from those who threat-
en this very system.
If you can breathe, you’
re
privileged. And I don’
t just
mean this in a literal sense.
If you are an individual
who has time to breathe in
between their sentences —
an individual who does not
feel the need to be fighting
for their human rights in
every single breath they
take — consider yourself
fortunate.
I acknowledge the
fact that I can breathe. I
acknowledge the fact that
I do not need to waste
a breath fighting for my
rights. I acknowledge the
countless breaths I have
wasted on things that do not
challenge our society to be
better. I acknowledge the
times that I have actually
held my breath, instead of
choosing to hold people
accountable for their prob-
lematic actions.
That changes today.
When you are short of
breath, you are commonly
told to “just relax.” Maybe
you are told to calm down
or maybe you are told to
take a deep breath. But black
Americans — who are now
gasping for air — cannot
just relax. They cannot calm
down, and they cannot solve
this inherent issue by taking
a deep breath.
Because the second they
do, their voices will no lon-
ger be heard.
It is time for those who
have the luxury of breath-
ing in society to play a part
of a systematic change in
which creates a society that
protects the breath of all
individuals — no matter
the color of their skin. That
change starts at the polls.
Nicole Dean is a University of
Michigan alum and Metro Detroit
native. She is a member of
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
Synagogue in Southfield.
IF YOU CAN BREATHE continued from page 8
Greenberg’s View
BY STEVEN GREENBERG