TWO DEATHS IN AUGUST

          The untimely death of a young black man, Michael Brown, in Rockford Illinois and of Robin Williams in Los Angeles will no doubt be the domestic stories of the summer.  The former was unknown beyond his neighborhood.  The latter was an international superstar.  Nonetheless, each death has major implications beyond the deceased and beyond the time and place in which each death occurred.  Moreover, each event has struck a nerve in the American psyche and started an important dialogue.

          The incident in Rockford could not have been a more perfect storm to highlight all that is wrong with race relations in America.  Another white policeman guns down an unarmed black male.  A week goes by with little information released on the killing from the white police force.  Looting and violence occur during evening protests.  Modern assault weaponry, most often utilized in third world battle zones, is employed for crowd control.  Midnight curfews are put in place. There is minimal African American representation in the political and justice systems of a town that is predominately black.  Mayors, governors, police chiefs and presidential candidates stake out positions that will either further or curtail their careers.

          In the midst of this cauldron of anger, calls for change and calls for restraint, I would like to share one thought.  Communities are able to avoid the racial tensions that lurk in the background, just below the surface, by embracing racial diversity.  When citizens demand diversity in their court systems, police departments, legal and physician networks and schools, the downhill spiraling of events, unfolding in Rockford Illinois, is unlikely to occur.  Diversity strengthens the fabric of a community in good times and in bad.

          The suicide of Robin Williams has grabbed our attention for very different reasons.  Everyone has either suffered from or knows someone with a mental illness.  The fact that Robin Williams, so loved by the public and his own family, with wealth and exciting projects, could take his own life, is disconcerting.  Just like the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman put an exclamation point behind heroin addiction, the death of Robin Williams puts new focus on mental illness. To the extent that others come forward for treatment, that mental illness is discussed more openly and that additional funding is made available for research and treatment, there is a silver lining in Williams’ death.

          We can only hope that both these issues continue to resonate with the media, the public and our political leaders until actual change is accomplished.  Unfortunately, given our collective track record on stepping up and following through on gun violence, drug and prison reform, global warming, immigration reform and many other social ills, this may be asking for too much.