Stay safe and make informed decisions
Dixon, DaTwan
Hi X-Cats,
I hope that all is well.
I am just checking in. 2020 will surely go down as a year to remember. I/We have reached out to all of you regarding the coronavirus, and now I am reaching out to you in regards to the racial tensions that are at an all-time high since the Rodney King riots that occurred in 1992. My heart is heavy after this weekend’s events, and I want to make sure that you are being safe due to COVID-19, and safe with your decision-making as things move forward in regards to racial tensions. If you ever need someone to talk to about anything, know that we are here.
This weekend, I had to talk to my 9-year old daughter about some of the disturbing images that were shown on the news, and explain the reason for the curfew that has been set in place in Rochester and other many other cities around the nation. I made her aware that some of the images depicted on the news were the same images of brutality that I saw as a child, my mom saw as a child, and my grandmother saw as a child, but I never imagined that she would ever have to see.
I hope and pray that one day there will be justice for the murder of unarmed men and women by people holding positions of power. My thoughts and prayers are with the many businesses, civilians, fire fighters, and respected policemen who truly had nothing to do with the death of George Floyd or those persons that came before him.
My job isn’t to tell you how to react, or not react, but I will convey the same message to you that I conveyed to my kids, and my God-children:
Things can change in the blink of an eye. What starts off as a peaceful protest can quickly turn into something senseless that you did not sign up for. This holds true for a lot of things in life and it only takes seconds.
You probably never imagined that you would sign up to learn about building a robot, and end up receiving information about pandemics and race relations. FIRST is bigger than Robots. It always has been, and always will be.
You are part of one of the most diverse and inclusive teams in FIRST - the whole world can learn a lot from us. There has never been a greater time to be proud of being an X-Cat.
I hope that your generation, and the generations to come, make significant strides in finding a solution to this persistent problem around racial inequality. I encourage all of you to be safe, and please make informed decisions regarding everything that you do.
Between COVID-19 and racial tensions, our city and our nation are torn, but you don’t have to be. We are only one phone call, email, or Slack message away. You have a whole family of mentors and peers who are willing and able to help and to listen.
Take care,
DaTwan
585 436-2635 (landline-only)
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.