Many Americans are experiencing significant grief, anger, and confusion. The president's response to the racial unrest of this past summer coupled with a lengthy campaign against voting rights, affirmative action, and the social welfare safety net have created enormous concern for Black Americans, refugees, members of the Indigenous and LatinX communities, and many others.

It strikes me that the deeper fear is uncertainty about the future. On the positive side many people are becoming increasingly aware of systemic racism in the United States. Many churches are studying books like Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison. School districts are rededicating themselves to creating curricula around social justice themes. Those trends provide reason for optimism.

At the same time our path out of the present moment is going to be incredibly challenging and many Americans are eager to go back to normal and say, "We stood up for racial justice last year. Isn't it fixed yet."

We need to make space for people to heal, while also continuing the drive for greater justice and equality.