Deep Thoughts from the Steps: Dreams of Love

This month, we introduced tees, long-sleeved tees and hoodies featuring an image inspired by protests against police brutality. The image was created by aspiring graphic designer A’yyan Haashiim, who wanted to convey the power of communities coming together to challenge a system that has hurt and killed so many.  

The image means even more when we think of the protest held 50 years ago where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made his “I Have A Dream” speech. Though he only spoke for 16 minutes at the historic March on Washington, Dr. King impacted the world with his vision of joining hands within and across communities to combat inequality and injustice. But as he’s said in other speeches and writings, the most effective weapon against hatred and oppression is loving one another.

Here at DDG, we believe that when we do this actively and intentionally, it’s impossible not to see each other’s humanity. When we love our neighbors, it’s hard not to treat them the way we want to be treated. And when we disagree, love compels us to work together to fix our issues.

Obviously, we’ve still got work to do. We’re writing this a few days after the funeral of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man stopped by Memphis police for a possible traffic violation. Although he didn’t pull a weapon, five policemen saw him as enough of a threat to tase and beat him. Three days later, he died.

All for a traffic stop?

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at Tyre’s funeral about the need for police reform. People have started protesting with marches and public commentary. Extensive news coverage that included video footage of the horrible event has been shown repeatedly on TV and social media as evidence against a broken system.

To us, this looks like we’re joining hands again and living out the love that Dr. King spoke of. It’s going to take some time to get there, but we will if we stick together and continue to dream of – and work toward – a better world.