Editor’s note: Karen Harris Tully is a writer who lives in Raymond and has agreed to keep a journal to share with Daily World readers during the odd and uncertain time we’re all navigating.

Dear Journal:

An important correction: To all The Daily World readers, and especially the family and friends of George Floyd, I want to apologize for what feels like the worst typo I’ve ever made. I worked so hard on my last journal entry, and yet, despite knowing Mr. Floyd’s name, having seen and heard it hundreds of times, I still managed to type it wrong, Lloyd instead of Floyd. One letter, but I’m kicking myself. Despite proofing that journal three times and having others read it too, I read what I thought it said, and not what it actually said. The mistake was mine alone. I did not mean any disrespect to Mr. Floyd’s memory and I sincerely apologize to anyone who saw it.

I feel like I’m messing up at every turn these days. Maybe I should be quiet on the subject of race, but that seems wrong. “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

So, I’m reading a lot of articles these days, experiences and advice from people of color on how to support people of color. Part of the advice says, sit back and listen. Another part, like Dr. King, says don’t stay silent. Speak up. And yet I can only speak from my own white perspective. I’m trying to find a balance. Are there points for trying?

My mom says I’m too hard on myself. “Be gentle,” she says. I am my own worst critic. But growth is uncomfortable, and I hope that’s what I’m doing. I hope that’s what America is doing. These riots are so much worse than uncomfortable, they are truly painful, but if America isn’t growing through this, then we are dying. We must as individuals and as a nation grow to become better than the nation built on racism. There is no going back. Forward is the only way through.

My last journal included two quotes from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His wisdom seems more applicable than ever in these troubled days and I have been thinking a lot about this quote lately:

“In the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear?”

Song of the day: Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon and Garfunkel

Karen Harris Tully is a novelist living in Raymond with her husband and two small children. She writes sci-fi/fantasy for teens and adults and can be found at www.karenharristully.com.