Forgiveness is easier said than done.  The question most commonly asked is, "who deserves forgiveness?"  According to Roxane Gay, Dylann Roof does not deserve forgiveness.  It is often hard to forgive someone who is not sorry, and Dylann Roof has shown no signs of remorse.  But for most African Americans, this is not just about forgiving Dylann Roof.  In fact, the more the white culture demands for forgiveness, the less likely African Americans are to give it. 

African Americans have been oppressed in this country for centuries now.  White America focuses on the progress that this country has made throughout the years.  The reality is, even though America has made strides towards improving social justice since the first enslaved Africans were brought to America in 1619, there are still many things that need to change.  The fact of the matter is, racism is still prevalent in today's society and African Americans are not always safe in this country that they call home. 

Dylann Roof was a white male who shot and killed 9 African Americans of Emanuel African American Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Roof wrote on his website that he chose this church because Charleston is the most historic city in his state and had the highest ratio of blacks to whites in the country.  Dylann Roof wanted to start a race war in America. Roof was a white supremacist. White supremacism is a form of racism with the belief that white people are superior.  Roof wanted segregation and believed that all African Americans were evil.  These are his beliefs and he is not in the least bit sorry for them. 

Roxane Gay makes a very good point: how can you forgive the actions of someone who is unapologetic for them?  It is also hard to forgive someone when their crimes are downplayed due to their race.  Dylann Roof is a terrorist.  According to his own words, rehashed by The Daily Beast, his plans were politically motivated and meant to cause fear.  Roof wasn't charged with terrorism simply due to the fact that he was an American.  How can you forgive a crime when the proper punishment was not given?

According to Gay, Dylann Roof's acts were so horrendous that he should not be forgiven. Many Catholics, predominantly white, believe that all sins should be forgiven.  The "Lord's Prayer" says, "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."  This basically says that humans should forgive each other's' sins.  But Gay believes there is a line. Gay believes that there should be confession and penance in order to be forgiven.  Dylann Roof has not show any reconciliation for these sins, in fact he seems at peace with his horrifying actions and as a Catholic, Gay believes that he has not met the "requirements" needed to receive forgiveness.  

This article by Gay is intended for the white audience.  Gay wants everyone to know that forgiveness is not something that can be demanded, but something that must be worked for and well deserved.  According to Gay, the "power of whiteness" can not win forgiveness.  She does believe that the power of whiteness is working in Roof's favor. The media does not portray Roof as a terrorist or a thug, but tries to understand what made the shooter so "crazy" and why he was "mentally unstable."  Gay believes that this is because he is white because white culture believes that there is no way people of their kind can commit such heinous acts without something tragic having happened to them in the past. 

Gay believes that blacks have had to forgive whites for enough. They have suffered through slavery, lynching, unfair incarceration, police brutality, and more. They have forgiven the whites for all of that.  Why should they have to keep forgiving?  Gray says that if they keep forgiving, they will continue be the victims of these crimes.  She believes that by forgiving, blacks are allowing these crimes to continue because the white culture is not truly held accountable for their actions.

When this article was first published, the responses were filled with mixed opinions of forgiveness.  On the New York Times website, a commenter by the name "S.D. Keith" from Birmingham, Alabama said "Forgive Always.  Forget Never.  I think you may be confusing the two."  Another commenter by the name of "DSM" from Westfield said "I agree completely with the author about not forgiving him-- just as I believe the racist murders of the Civil Rights struggle ...   should continue to be investigated and prosecuted rather than forgiven."  Some people believed that humans should forgive rather than forget, but others believed that the crimes of hateful people like Dylann Roof should never be forgiven. 

The Charleston shooting was not the only recent event that involved hate crime in the United States. In Ferguson, Missouri a black male was said to be killed "unjustly" by a white police officer and the police officer was not indicted for the alleged crime. This started a wave of police brutality in the media. Then there was another police brutality case in Baltimore, having to do with a white officer and a black male where the black male ended up dead. This only added fuel to the fire. When the Charleston shooting took place, the black community had already been dealing with immense loss and injustice. This is a likely cause as to why forgiveness was so hard to lend to yet another black hate crime.

 It is important to understand these surrounding events because if the Charleston Shooting was the only black hate crime within a few year time span, it would be easier to forgive the white community as a whole. One insane person would not represent the rest of the white race in America. But since black hate crimes have become the norm and the crimes are happening so frequently, with immense media coverage, it seems that the majority of the white race is to blame because the perpetrators are not held accountable for their crimes. This is why it is unbelievably hard to forgive when another of these crimes happen. 

Gay's article makes people of both white and black cultures stop and think about their stance in social injustice.  For the African Americans: are they being too forgiving?  Are they allowing the perpetrators to keep making them the victims?  For the whites: what makes Dylann Roof worthy of forgiveness?  Why can't they just hold each other accountable for their crimes? Both sides must take a hard look at their stance on the situation and determine how to successfully work together to create an equal environment in this country.

