Freedom Run?

COVID-19 “The Rona Era”

This is fourth of July weekend and it feels like a regular Friday in an era of a pandemic, economic and racial unrest. Celebrating America? Not sure about all that. Pre- pandemic, I would be hanging with the Chenault’s for our annual Chenault family reunion and we would be celebrating and loving each other over the 4th of July weekend.

Current pandemic, in Boston, and still working away. My feels of the 4th lead me to Charlestown to run around the Bunker Hill Monument. The plan was to run around statues and monuments that address freedom.

My first stop was Bunker Hill and Charlestown. Running from Downtown Boston and following the freedom trail I headed to Charlestown. Running up a incline to get to the monument I saw a Black Lives Matter statement. I was completely surprised. It made me stop in my shoes.

The post acknowledge the over 70 black men and women that have been killed by police violence. There was an acknowledgement of Emmett Til. This person was very thoughtful in what they did.

As I run past this I wondered about Freedom and Freedom for whom? How is defining it, what is the cost of it, and how does it get achieved.

Seeing Emmitt Til, was a perfect example of systemic racism. A young 14 year olf black boy was falsely accused of harassing/offending a white woman. She weaponized her whiteness and supported a patriarchal white supremacist structure and this little black boy was murdered. That was 1941. This is 2020.

Freedom.

Bunker Hill : 1775 “ This hand opposed to tyrants searches with a sword for peaceful conditions under liberty” . Irony of Freedom.

Deep in thought for 4,02 miles on July 3rd.

So glad it was cool and I hardly saw any people out, which makes me extremely happy.

Running in more than running