Especially during this time of unrest, a lot of people are rethinking how they do things and what they say. Some individuals go a step further by making choices that visually let others know they stand with the black community.
Chaos in the country
Although peaceful protesting is fine, the problem is we’ve seen what should be a civil event turn into rioting. In cities across the country, statues have been torn down, businesses ruined, and people injured and killed.
There has to be a better way…
…and there is. As one elderly man proved, you can show support for the black community in a way that helps get your message across but without all the disruption. It all began with a simple idea that quickly gained attention.
New to the neighborhood
Carlos Whittaker and his diverse family moved into a beautiful neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee right across the street from an elderly white man named James Martin. Whenever Carlos saw him, he’d make the effort to say hi but he never got a response.
Building a bias
The lack of friendliness from James and with him having a huge American flag draped in his window made Carlos, who’s black, begin to think his elderly neighbor was biased. For several years, the two remained neighbors. Although Carlos continued to wave and say hi, James wasn’t interested in building a friendship.
What’s he doing?
One day, Carlos noticed his neighbor doing the weirdest thing. He exited his house with a can of paint in his hand. He walked over to two white rabbit statues he had on his front lawn and painted one of them black.
Carlos was stumped
In his words, “I just couldn’t figure out why he was painting one of them black.” It didn’t make any sense. But after James went back inside his house, Carlos’ first reaction was his neighbor was racist. He was shocked.
Understanding the message
But then, Carlos realized this wasn’t a bad message but one of love and acceptance. This cranky old man was saying, not just to Carlos, but to all black people, you matter. A few days later, James enhanced his bunny statues with a sign.
Loud and clear
In between the white and black rabbit statues, James added a sign. On it, the message read, “Every bunny cares 4 u.” Along with that, he’d placed a small American flag. It was at that point that Carlos decided to walk to the man’s house with the video on his phone recording.
Meet and greet
Carlos said, “I saw your black bunny. I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation with you.” That’s all it took to break the ice. He then proceeded to ask James why he painted the bunny black. The response was so touching.
The explanation
James stated, “Well, I think with all the stuff going on in the country, I wanted to gently…” Carlos interjects with, “That’s beautiful. I saw that when I was mowing my grass and I literally started to cry.”
A bond is formed
The two men stood on the side of the street for some time chatting and getting to know one another. Carlos felt terrible. For the past four years, he’d been judging James completely wrong. As for James, he said this was his way to promote unity…something he wished he’d done years ago. By the way, the two men have become fast friends.
This simple act of kindness just goes to show that there are ways to support people of different races without using violence. Click on the video below to watch the interaction between these two men. It’ll touch your heart and hopefully, encourage you.
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Source: YouTube, Learning to Give
