Monroe County United: We must want change to achieve it | Thomas Jones

We are now living in a time where it is not hard to figure out— we are all over the place when it comes to what we have gotten away from. Humanity, life values, and unity are the three things that spelled out that life no longer exists.

The Bible tells us there will be wars and rumors of war and talks about most of what we are now experiencing. Many may not believe in the Bible, but you would have to agree that things are pretty messed up— every time we turn around there's negativity.

The pandemic is still lingering in the shadows, police brutality continuing, and voting rights are being challenged and changed to prevent communities of color from voting. In my opinion, hiring a police force to monitor voting polls is a bit intimidating.

The State of Georgia announced if they catch anyone giving someone food or water while they are waiting online to vote, will be arrested. What does giving someone food and water have to do with violating their privilege to vote?

More from Dr. Jones:The struggle continues but still, the African American rises.

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We are constantly being challenged:

· There is the massive lie that still lives that the election was stolen

· The Critical Race Theory where everything from criminal justice to the housing market leads to differential outcomes by race

· Cancel culture, the canceling of people

· The banning of books in our education system across the nation that is mostly targeted black and L.G.B.T.Q. people

· Taking the human right to decide from women may be taken away

If you are following this article up to this point, it should tell you that change is in a backward motion. Did I forget anything? Yes, I did: discrimination, racial hate, religious hate, no equal justice. I believe that sums it up right? Well, you cannot get any more inhumane than the war in Ukraine.

The question is, when will we get back to normal? Or is this the new normal? I grew up in this world some 68 years ago, and it had its moments, but nothing like it is today. If we all can recognize this together that we are at a critical stage to go backward in time, a very ugly time when America was growing, and trying to find its way to a better America.

America was not so free for people of color. So many of us are aware of this behavior and movement. But also know this is not to everyone’s liking, and who wants to live under a dictatorship, or a law that is only for a select few, and not for all walks of life?

The past slogans of America were Land of the Free, and Land of Opportunity. Being taught history growing up in elementary school, the teachers only spoke of the Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, French, and English that settled here— how is that for diversity? The Civil War and the Revolutionary War were also taught, not realizing there were other walks of life here in America. Slavery was not talked about, except that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves. No one in my class ever asked the question, why did we have slaves in America? (And it's called the Land of the Free?)

History is important, it helps us:

· Understand who we are and where we came from

· Know why we think the way we do

· Understand other cultures

· Give an insight into present-day problems

· Understand change

More local opinion:This Black History Month, don't ban our history. Teach it. | My Turn

But now, they want to erase a lot of America’s history, and not teach it, because some people feel it will have a negative effect on their children. To tell the truth, it affects the adults, not the children. What makes it so bad is none of the adults today were here on this earth during the time slavery existed. I think they are afraid that their children would ask questions.

We are supposed to be progressing not digressing, elevating not degrading, encourage not discouraging, and moving forward not backward. We can fix what is broken or what is about to be catastrophic for every community across this nation.

Talking about it will not move a pebble, we must be about it, speak change into existence. Demand change as a community, the right way. Not through violence. It is going to take every last one of us to come together and stand together against what is trying to divide us and defeat what is trying to put us against each other.

When you see someone who wants to change a law or enforce a law that will become discriminatory toward several walks of life the picture is clear, and it’s getting clearer each day. We need to start the process of change immediately.

Not just for one race, but all walks of life, all Americans, regardless of the color of their skin or culture.

This is not about being a Republican or Democrat, it is about our Humanity, for every breathing human being. We have to confront our lawmakers, and the entire community to make that change. With numbers we can be effective, we can change the negative into the positive, the lies into the truth. We know this is not the way we want to live.

But we must want to change— we have to be part of the change because we don’t want to go back 100 years where we were fighting for our rights all over again.

Here we are again, history is about to repeat itself. Once we start losing our rights, which is happening now, slowly but surely right in our face, it just will not stop there, it will be more than just abortion and voting.

Let us not let that happen, we all have suffered enough.

Dr. Thomas Braxton Jones Jr. is the President of Monroe County United. Submit ideas for My Turn columns to afontones@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Opinion: We don't want to go backwards, but here we are