Americans must be more empathetic and open-minded in the face of horrific challenges. This post will discuss two situations that have and will continue to significantly impact our lives into the foreseeable future.

Scores of family members, friends and acquaintances have contracted coronavirus, and over 100,000 have died in America.

Simultaneously, in a seminal moment in history, the black community is enthusiastically and admirably protesting to increase awareness of pervasive social injustice, in particular as it relates to relations with the police and wide economic disparities between Americans.

The virus is a pandemic challenge that pits a rogue disease against mankind. The bug is an existential threat that has made so many of our neighbors ill. Medical practitioners have been trying to find the key to defuse the disease. It’s been a difficult and frustrating journey with slow progress.

The virus has turned the world upside down. Besides the wake of suffering it has cast upon us, the deadly flu has caused us to change the way we live and associate with other humans. At the same time, the impact of the disease has closed many businesses, perhaps permanently, and caused an economic catastrophe.

Millions of Americans are unemployed or doing their jobs remotely. The entire business community is struggling to stay alive and to protect its workers.

And finally, the disease has altered the way we interface with each other. Family get-togethers are happening online. Hugs and kisses are not permissible under any circumstances. And we must meet each other with masks on our faces. Humans are social beings, but the coronavirus has required us to de-socialize and limit contact.

My heart goes out to all those who are suffering through this pandemic threat and to all the first responders and health care workers, as the world fights back. Together we can defeat the bug and, hopefully, re-socialize again in the near future.

The protests taking place at the same time should not have surprised anyone. Racism is the underlying issue. Blacks are being treated without due respect and subjected to abominable and criminal actions by police officers, the very people who are supposed to protect them.

Our legal system is heavily weighted against people of color. As a result, the subsequent adjudication of offending officers has been too slow. Guilty police officers must be brought to justice more quickly. They should be incarcerated for serious offenses. Sanctions being meted out against offenses have been too soft, frustrating the black community.

It’s impossible for me to understand the feelings of despair in the black community as injustices mount up against it. Yet, I am committed to learning more and having an empathetic ear. Concerned individuals, business leaders and average citizens, should be reaching out to gain a better understanding of the things most important to the black community. It’s time to re-double efforts to find peaceful settlement of disagreements.

All Americans need to be more responsive to the black community. We should do everything possible to ensure that they are safe, have equal opportunities for a quality education and a job that enables them to pursue the American dream.

The current state of affairs and the injustices being perpetrated against people of color is not consistent with the ideals that our founding fathers envisioned many years ago.