This week has provided me with a sense of hope after the distrubances related to the death of Freddie Gray. I attended classes organized by two of our major universities: University of Baltimore and University of Maryland Law School. It was hopeful to witness a collective total of over 200 persons very interested in making a difference in policies, programs and practices to improve the quality of life for residents of our City. The language was brutely frank but also very optimistic. The challenges while dauting seen manageable with the collective will and brain power demonstrated in the classes I participated in.
I remarked that after the 1968 riots in Baltimore, it appeared to me that segements of our society retreated from engagement. Now after the April events, it appears many people from different sectors are looking honestly for answers and seeking how to make real change to improve our City.
We can have hope after Freddie Gray if we become a community willing to trust the innate goodness within each of us. We can have hope after Freddie Gray if we are willing to have honest conversation about our hopes, dreams, fears and aspirations. We can have hope after Freddie Gray if windows of opportunity are opened and barriers to achievement are eliminated. We can have hope after Freddie Gray if persons from the generation of today, 20 - 40 year olds, not lose hope in the goodness of humankind to become better.
I will continue my studies with optimism and a fervent prayer that I will witness positive change in our community within my time and space.
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