“You see all of these issues that we’re dealing with today and that the nation has been dealing with it for quite some time, that were all percolating under the surface, and it all came to light during these five days, post Freddie Gray’s death. The parallel to where the nation is now, post George Floyd’s death and in this pandemic era that we’re living in, the similarities, it’s a song that hasn’t stopped playing yet. And it will continue to play for quite some time.”
– DCF Board member Chanta Wilkinson, talking about Wes Moore’s Five Days.

Like everybody, I’m terribly preoccupied by the upcoming election. But I also want to make sure we’re all looking at the long-term issues as well. So I want to share just a few quick notes about the upcoming Building Opportunity Keynote event with Wes Moore, which will build on the ongoing DCF Book Circles, reading Wes’ book Five Days … We’ve given away 500 books — many more are on loan from the state’s libraries — and Book Circles are meeting across the state to discuss it. My personal book group meets this week, and I get to participate in a larger discussion on Nov. 10.

What’s clear is that Delawareans want to engage, to learn from each other, to listen, and to find ways to do the right thing. The Book Circle pictured here included some extremely thought-provoking statements, including the one I share above from Chanta Wilkinson. But I’m also struck by Ronald Hale’s comment:

I’ve seen many marches. I’ve seen the demonstrations. I’ve watched the tapes of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X and all of the other leaders who’ve marched before my time before I was even born. And the things are still going on. So when does the change really happen? How are we on this call going to make an impact in our communities and what are we going to do and who are we going to speak to? It all starts with each one of us, you know?

It is up to each one of us. Let us know what your group is talking about.