On the road again! This is the view on my morning run.

I didn't make it about race, I just identified it.

Having compassion for the family who lost an innocent child in Orlando last week does not mean I am blind to the discrepancies in the media and public reactions to this tragedy and the near tragedy that occurred in Cincinnati nearly three weeks ago.

For those of you who insist on burying your heads in the sand and pretending that race is not an issue, I say wake up! Clearly the media (social and professional) reacted differently to each case. So much so that i knew the race of each child before I ever saw a clear picture. Not only were there petitions for charges against the black parents as well as DHR intervention, but I read many hateful commentary stating that this child's life was not more valuable than the gorilla's and he should have been left to die. The Florida family (white) never received the level of vitriol that was spewed at the Cincinnati family (black). It is tragic that the white child died, but many of you stated that the black child should have died. Where was the anger over the deaths of the two alligators killed in search of the white child? I missed it. Where was the petition for action against the white parents who allowed their child to wade in the waters of alligator country? I missed that as well. Where is the compassion for African Americans in this country? Yes, I also missed that . It is a sad truth that whenever anything happens to a black person, the spin is to blame the victim or portray them as not so innocent. There is a rush to publish any negative information about the victim (however irrelevant) and portray that somehow this was their fault, or they deserved it. White victim; the media and the authorities say, "Let us respect their privacy. Let us have compassion for this family." And my favorite, "I am you!" Where was all this empathy, respect, and compassion two or three weeks ago? And why is it race baiting to say " I see what you're doing."?

Darlene Pryor the author

GOT THAT RUN IN THIS MORNING!

I remember when I used to run and pump iron; back before most black women thought it was cool to sweat.  For the past eight or nine years I have been trying to get back into the zone but I keep running into this wall. Something happens, life happens; and I get distracted and fall off track. I stop moving forward on this journey to regain the past.

Fortunately for me and you, every day we wake up is a brand new opportunity to do better, to be better! We get to keep forging ahead to His promise that our latter days will be greater than our former.

Today is a new day. Go out and make something happen!

Darlene Pryor

Entitlement

How dare we...
not be grateful for each day.
not strive to be better; to do better.
not diligently pursue our dreams.
not show our friends and family we love them.

Each day is a gift from God
A new opportunity to get it right
and turn our dreams into aspirations.
Smile and be kind to one another
It doesn't cost a thing.

Darlene Pryor

From my facebook page

"Appalled at the vitriol spewed at the child who got into the gorilla habitat. I have even read that the child deserved to die because he had no business in there. Not to mention the hate spewed at the mother. I knew the race of the child before I even saw the video. And you wonder why the need to remind you that black lives matter. Too many people devalue the lives of black people, young and old. You pay $90000+ dollars for the weapon used to murder Treyvon Martin and you celebrate George Zimmerman, but you try to take away Michael Vick's livelihood over the treatment of dogs by his associates. The sad thing is that too few of you who claim not to feel this way bother to speak out against this obvious disdain but when a black person steps out and says "Hey I matter" You are quick to minimize the assertion by stating "all lives matter". Do you truly believe and understand that black lives matter as well?"

Sad to say that the only words from that entire paragraph that registered with some people was "black lives matter".