This community opinion was contributed by San Benito County resident Cesar Gamboa. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent BenitoLink or other affiliated contributors.
Memorial Day, May 25, 2020: a moment to honor our fallen, was the date the most publicized case of police brutality in our country has occurred. Within the same week on May 30, American astronauts took to space for the first time in almost a decade. Within the span of these two moments, the toll from COVID-19 surpassed 100,000 lives.
These recent events have tapped into some of the deepest pains and highest aspirations our nation has known. These events are reference points from which to move forward. They have the potential to unify and divide us. In a moment when violence has affected our homes and streets, we should recall the words of Martin Luther King Jr: “Our goal is to create a beloved community…this will require a qualitative change in our souls, as well as a quantitative change in our lives.”
So what could this entail? The qualitative change will require each of us to reflect on our national past, honor our fallen, and encourage each other to move forward as individuals and a group. This is where organization, teamwork, and effective leadership come in to provide quantitative change.
COVID-19 demonstrated the differences in lifestyle and recourse availability for a variety of communities, and how they converge in education. Digitally literate families navigated distance learning with relative ease while other families struggled. Some factors that could lead to this are worksite virus exposure, unemployment, or unequal access to educational, healthcare, and other resources. COVID-19 also showed how quickly our communities could mobilize to respond to issues that affect us all. Our collective health is not merely physical, but also societal.
It did not take long for people to shift their gaze from immunological concerns to civic concerns. Our beloved community has shown in two explicit examples it is ready and able to mobilize for the betterment of all. This includes maintaining good relations with our law enforcement, who have taken an oath to protect us. Meanwhile, there is another group who could benefit from ensuring recognition and appreciation; our farmworkers, many of whom experience a lack of resources.
This essential heartbeat in our community has also brought forth a deeper sustenance as can be seen with El Teatro Campesino; which seeks to present an “accurate account of human history, while encouraging young men and women of a new generation to take control of their own destiny through creative discipline, vibrant education, economic independence, and artistic excellence.” Meanwhile organizations such as Youth Alliance seek to cultivate locally relevant responses to socioeconomic inequalities by recognizing how targeted investments can contribute to equitable recovery for all.
Organizations such as these are honoring the legacy of those we’ve lost and more importantly, seeking to secure an equitable future for coming generations. This comes from a place of reverence and love for our beloved community. As we move forward, let us balance our values with our pragmatism. Together stand, divided we fall.
This is Love in the Time of Corona