What Could Make 2022 Better

“Sight is seeing with the eyes. Vision is seeing with the mind.” Photo by Ray Hennessy on Unsplash

For many Americans 2021 was either a blur or a bust. The challenging mix of blending a positive attitude with the realities of managing health and safety protocols, economic instability, inequality, grief from the loss of loved ones, and employment and housing conditions often fostered spirits of depression or disassociation. For many, the anticipation for a restart with the 2022 new year was, not surprisingly, high on the holiday gift list.

I certainly wouldn’t be upset if my wishes were to come true. Despite a year filled with personal and professional accomplishments, including a coronavirus-free health status, I have taken notice of disturbing matters that I would prefer were changed or altogether absent this year. Please indulge me as I share a few “pebbles in my shoe.” In other words, good riddance to the following matters that made me question the root cause and whose need it was satisfying.

“Erasure is a form of oppression, the refusal to see.”

1. We should pay more attention to how little Brown and Black people are often erased from society. For example, am I the only one who eagerly watches sporting events on television and takes note that more often than not (i.e., 99% of the time), the camera will pan out over the audience to catch an adoring or…