Martha Glass: Destroying spirit, hope

Roxane Gay wrote in her July 28 column “Our vulnerable black bodies” about the recent suicide of Sandra Bland in Texas that “it is also traditional to try and destroy the black spirit.” That hit me in the gut.

I can hear her ancestors saying those same words from the early days of our country. Her contemporaries still say that today.

Many slave owners didn’t flinch when it came to destroying a black body, but as she said, destroying the spirit was more difficult.

Unfortunately, that is the way many people, including police officers, find it easiest to deal with those of color, ethnicity or religion. Destroy the spirit, for then there is no hope. When will we stop this way of thinking?

This story was originally published August 1, 2015 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Martha Glass: Destroying spirit, hope."