Leaders must uplift citizens in times of racial injustice

The COVID-19 crisis is one of greatest crises humanity has ever faced, changing life as we know it. A lack of federal and state leadership made the crisis worse while costing us precious time, resources, and lives.

Locally, the story was a bit different as Mayor Strickland demonstrated sound and independent leadership from the beginning. His administration continues to communicate well with the public about COVID-19 and he bases his decisions on data and science from the experts.

Mayor Strickland, you have done a fine job during a very difficult time. But your comments after this week’s protest showed that there is still room for growth when leading in a crisis.

I’ll use a sea story to illustrate my point.

Earlier in my military career, I was a division officer on board a U.S. navy vessel. The evening before our ship’s change of command, one of my junior sailors committed suicide. The change of command is one of the biggest ceremonies that a military unit experiences.

There were a number of things that needed to be done to execute that event in good order. But, the minute that traumatic incident occurred, the mission changed and the well-being of our sailors became my first priority.

I delivered the news to my sailors about the brother we lost and made sure they could trust and depend on their leadership during that trying time. If I hadn’t gained their trust immediately, the ceremony, our upcoming deployment, and any other mission would have been lost.

Memphians are hungry for leadership

The protest Wednesday was an opportunity to demonstrate trusted leadership, recognize the pain of the community and listen to their concerns.

Yet, you choose to scold them, gloss over the brutal murder of George Floyd and shift the focus to COVID-19 and officer safety. While those things are important, the trauma caused by Mr. Floyd’s death was your first priority.

Your admonishment of the protesters was insensitive, tone deaf, and showed a lack of understanding of the deep and unhealed wounds regarding crimes perpetrated against Black people by the police.

Ultimately, it was a rebuke of the community you were elected to represent. Mr. Floyd may not have been a Memphian, but he is a member of the Black community. We feel a deep, agonizing pain and collective trauma for not only his death, but for Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and the countless others who have lost their lives and not received justice.

Serving as mayor in a city with a 64% Black population, the community expects more from your leadership. Winning an election does not absolve you, or any of our elected officials, of your responsibility to the community. One crisis does not make another crisis any less important, especially when it’s the crisis of racism, profiling, targeting and brutality.

We need to hear from you, know that you understand our collective hurt and that you are committed to healing the trauma with us. That should have been priority number one.

Unfortunately, the death of Floyd may not be the last death of an unarmed black person. Going forward, we need you to be the strong, independent leader you have shown you are capable of being.

First, make a statement when an incident like this occurs, as opposed to after a protest. There is doubt and lack of trust when there is silence.

Next, focus on the well-being of Memphians. Lastly, when a situation makes you feel vulnerable, exposed, and you want to retreat back to where you are comfortable, recognize the awesome responsibility and opportunity you have to lead and support a community that experiences those feelings every day.

Together, with courageous leaders, we can move Memphis forward.

Corey Strong is an educator, Commander in Navy Reserves, and candidate for Congress in TN-09