“All of us here in Minneapolis were traumatized last summer when he was murdered,” Lisa said after a long pause.
“And I could tell I had made progress, because I felt that pain in my gut. I felt with my Black neighbors.”
Lisa paused again, recalling the weeks following George Floyd’s murder. When something like this happens and the entire nation is rocked to the core, it can be easy to forget about ground zero. This wasn’t Lisa’s first ground zero.
“I remember after Philando Castille was shot just feeling like I needed to be near that pain. There was a rally happening at the governor’s mansion, so I hopped in my car and drove over. The group that showed up was about as diverse as it gets—business people and tattooed bikers, housewives, every race and ethnic group, religion, and then me, a Scandinavian woman.”
That phrase, ‘I needed to be near that pain,’ is something Lisa said a lot. When asked about it, she said it’s about empathy. “For me, this began at childhood. I went through a lot of turmoil and pain and I wished someone would have noticed or looked into it. So I choose to notice and to look into things.”
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Not far from Lisa’s home, a jury recently delivered a guilty verdict for Derek Chauvin. If you’d asked Lisa her thoughts on racism or this trial twenty years ago, she may not have had much to say, but her journey over the past few years has been powerful. That’s why she calls the ability to feel pain such ‘progress.’ Empathy is a muscle, and she goes to the gym again and again—she’s getting strong!
Her focus on practical, planned ways of building empathy isn’t just something she keeps to herself, she also leads our Daily Prayers (sign up here) and is an active community leader. In light of the Chauvin trial’s verdict, we remember that it’s not up to our black relatives to unmake the unjust systems that have terrorized them for generations. White Peacemakers must play an active role. It always involves immersion (getting proximate) and growing empathy.
If you wonder what that looks like or what you could be doing now, you should stick around. Lisa is one example for us to look to, and there will be more coming soon. Stay tuned.
Author: Matt Willingham
Matt Willingham is a writer, photographer, and content creator with over ten years experience living and working in some of the hardest-hit conflict zones in the world. He and his wife, Cayla, are now based in San Diego where they’re raising three little peacemakers and working to promote empathy and understanding in their community.
@matt.willingham