All social media, including Facebook, is at once wonderful and evil at the same time. Good things happen on it, and sharing those add to a richer life of interconnection. But, bad things occur as well, and sometimes it is hard to undo the harm they pose to people. There is something happening now that I feel compelled to respond to, to try to expand the perspective with which we are witnessing our history, specifically about January 6^th. A freshman member of congress shared on social media her experience of that day as she worked in her office in the capitol. She expressed her fears for her life with what was unfolding in the Capitol. She received immediate and angry blast-back for what was called a false and unreal report of what was happening in Washington “BECAUSE SHE WASN’T EVEN IN THE CAPITOL BUILDING.” This fact, while true in a very narrow unhelpful sense, was given to discredit her, to diminish her as a person and human being, to dismiss her. This response was either because of willful ignorance or benign ignorance, the former because it fit the racist narrative of the speaker and gave validation to the attack on her. Some who hold to this belief would have celebrated if she had been injured or killed because it fit their narrative. Those with benign ignorance, meant only to diminish her and stopped short of her injury or death. But, this latter isn’t really much better than the former because to want the diminishment of another human isn’t of our better angels, and in the moral realm, isn’t what we can and need to aspire to.

Perspective on Benign Ignorance: Those of this mindset consider themselves good people whose lives reflect our better angels in good works, contributing to community, helping and serving others, and contributing to good causes. Generally I wouldn’t quarrel with this assessment. The gap in this perspective, however, is having little or no knowledge of the lives of persons of color, and in this case, of our freshman congressman, an African American.

Here are facts about January 6th: the terrorist attack of the 6^th was an assault on Democracy, and it played out in insurrection against our Capitol. It was an attack on our Capitol, but not just the capitol building proper, but the central element of our nation. Fact: Our Capitol, is in reality housed in all buildings associated with the operation of government. Fact: Buildings in close proximity to the capitol building proper, are connected by underground passageways. When the assault began to unfold an order went out to close and secure all government buildings, which included the building across the street where our freshman representative has her office. Everyone in all government buildings were well aware that violent attacks were happening at that moment. Everyone went into lock-down mode, not just those in the capitol building proper, but all government buildings.

Second fact: Our freshman representative is an African American, a person of color. Her critics who fall into the group of those with benign ignorance, I’m going out on a limb and suggest are speaking from a life lived with white skin. You have never experienced feeling threatened in public because of the color of your skin. You have never felt uneasy at the sight of a police officer because of the color of your skin. You have never had any experiences that diminished you because of the color of your skin. So, of course, how could you possibly understand someone in a locked building “across the street” fearing for her life? And hearing someone shouting, “Where is she? Where is she?” while pounding on the door, how could you fathom the fear of imminent death because of the color of your skin? That it later was revealed the one shouting was in fact a Capitol police officer, doesn’t take away from the fear she felt in that moment of unknown.

My suggesting this perspective is to call on you to open your empathetic eyes and hearts to see as best you can what she experienced on January 6^th across the street because of the color of her skin. It’s never easy to walk around in someone else’s shoes, let alone in their skin, but you have to try – the collective needs you to try. And, if you have reasons to disagree with her, at least let them be reasons worthy of your pursuit, and not something based on benign ignorance.

You’re welcome.