Three simple words: “it is time”

“My daddy changed the world” — these were the words 6-year-old Gianna recently said about her father, George Floyd. Gianna will not see her daddy again in this world. However, she can grow up knowing that her daddy did change the world and he helped open all people’s eyes.

It is time that we, as white Americans, open our eyes. It is time that we stop being silent and stop allowing the racial injustices to occur. Being silent is choosing to turn a blind eye.

We have all recently seen and read the controversy over the Confederate statue in downtown Salisbury. I ask that other white Americans look at it from another lens; look at it from an African American’s lens. This statue is a constant reminder of the pain and suffering that African American ancestors went through. This statue still standing in the middle of the street (on a piece of property that our white ancestors deemed as private property) is a living testimony that these injustices are still alive today.

Blaming our forefathers or our ancestors is not okay. Blaming our heritage or the fact that we live in the south and that’s just the way it is is not okay.

Choose to make a difference in spite of what our forefathers have done.

It is time for us to right those wrongs. It is time to remove the Confederate statue from our downtown streets.

Let us take the unity we have seen over the last few days and stand together on racial injustice. George Floyd said he wanted “to touch the world.” What better way to immortalize Mr. Floyd than by removing this statue now? Let George Floyd touch our world right here in Salisbury.

— Tammy Long

Kannapolis