This too shall pass...

By Lea Whitehurst-Gibson

The old refrain, "this too shall pass" has been on my mind as we adjust to life in quarantine. Maybe it's because I have three children 6 and under at home and while there have been sweet moments for sure, I have to believe this will pass and they will return to school someday!

I also hear the word "unprecedented" used to describe the COVID-19 pandemic. For many White Americans, the level of uncertainty they feel about their physical and financial well-being is unprecedented.

For some, it's the first time they are unable to buy their way out of a problem. 

On the other hand, when I talk to Black friends, family, and neighbors along the Jefferson Davis Corridor, I hear about how the pandemic feels familiar. 

At Virginia Community Voice we honor the ways that the pandemic feels familiar for black, indigenous, people of color and other marginalized groups. We do that by listening and centering their experiences.

For example, as a black woman, I think of my foremothers who were faced with impossible circumstances they could not see their way through.

My ancestors survived enslavement, racial violence, Jim Crow, and segregation. Our black community lives everyday as the whole world is living now, uncertain of what will happen tomorrow, afraid of threats seen and unseen. Black Americans are experts on figuring out how to navigate impossible situations with little to no resources.

““Black Americans are experts on figuring out how to navigate impossible situations with little to no resources.””

We broke the chains of slavery and legislated our way through Jim Crow. We won the fight for voting rights and continue to organize ourselves against injustice. We have demonstrated again and again our ability to imagine and realize a better future for our children. 

People of color in America have been forced to know fear, and we are anchored in hope. That's why I encourage you to seek the leadership of people of color in your communities during this time. 

Center the experiences of people most directly impacted by the virus and economic fallout. Our voices should be included in designing solutions to a pandemic that will disproportionally affect us. 

As we know all too well in the Black community: this too shall pass. We are resilient people and we can overcome the darkest days.

My hope is that we take this time to listen to each other well, so when we come out on the other side, we will be ready to build a more equitable community.