An Open Letter to Attorney General Cameron

September 24, 2020

Office of the Attorney General

Mr. Daniel Cameron

700 Capital Avenue, Suite 118

Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-3449

Dear Mr. Cameron,

My name is Robyn Durr-Henry.  I currently reside in the state of Indiana, but I wanted to write to you as a concerned citizen of this country.  Today is my birthday, as a gift to myself, I write to you in hopes of changing this country to a better place. Instead of frivolous celebratory activity, it is more important for me to do my part to better this country for myself, my two sons and the rest of the American population that looks like you and me.  I am not sure of your background but allow me to tell you a bit about me.  I was born in Ohio, near Cleveland, to two wonderful parents.  I grew up in a middle-class suburban neighborhood and went to private schools from first grade until I graduated high school.  My mother is a retired schoolteacher and my father retired from a career at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which was Ohio’s largest newspaper.  Education was pushed as an invaluable resource in my family, you see most of my family are educators in some form or fashion.  Many hold multiple degrees, including my brother who received his Doctorate last year. Also very common to my family, is that many of us attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities, equally as important as education was the need for us to support and feel the love that an HBCU can afford you. I quickly realized that education was not my calling and chose a career in research and science. I feel satisfied in knowing that my contributions help bring safe and efficacious medical product to market to help those with health disparities. Now that you know a little about me, let me get to the root of this letter.

Yesterday, we watched as you announced that none of the officers involved in the murder of Breonna Taylor would be charged with her death. One officer would be charged with a lesser crime that was in no way related to her murder.  I can only imagine that yesterday was a tough day for you. Although it may have been tough, I am sure it was also equally rewarding as you are a part of a historical landmark event that can prove to be an assurance to solidifying your career aspirations. This may even move you up on President Trump’s shortlist of candidates to fill the open Supreme Court seat. How gratifying that must be, you are being praised by the President of the United States as a rising star. With all that is possible and the fruits of your labor coming to bear, I wonder if you feel it has been worth it? I wonder if this is what you wanted? Is the price you have paid to obtain professional success, worth selling you morality and soul?

Allow me to explain myself. We both know that as Black Americans in this county, you are automatically enrolled into “Not an Easy Road University”. Before we are truly able to understand the difficult and historically complex fabric of this country, we are already marked. I am sure that you decided early on that you would be the antithesis of what many in this country believe that Black men are.  You probably went through the pain staking process of mapping out your path and devising a strategy that would propel you to the pinnacle of success. You took all necessary precautions to never be in the wrong place at the wrong time, to make sure you were only affiliated with those that could help you reach your goals, that you would always be at the top of your classes and that you would conform and assimilate in whatever way possible to be accepted by the in-crowd. It is no secret that average for us will not lead you to the promised land.  The bar is extremely high for us and we must excel in order to even garner the attention of those that are in positions of power and authority. This is especially true when you choose a professional path that does not require athletic ability or entertainment value. Opportunities outside of those two boxes only have room for a few of us at the top and we must fight, claw and scratch our way to get there. I understand being measured and gauged with a different barometer than the majority. This is why I am sure you made strategic relationship connections with those that could give you that foot in the door to make sure you rose to the top of the list.  You probably made sure you were always well groomed, impeccably dressed and spoke with perfect diction so that they would see you as an equal worthy and deserving of any accomplishments coming your way. Every move that you have made thus far was most likely part of intentional decision making to assure that you would differentiate yourself and achieve professional success at an early age.  This includes your political affiliation. I am sure you weighed the options with a lens that would reveal the highest probability of success. Would you be the Attorney General of Kentucky if you were a Democrat?  Would the Who’s Who of Kentucky be accepting of you if you had graduated from a Historically Black College or University? I am sure every decision you have made in terms of advancing your career has been part of a grueling process of weighing the pros and cons to determine if it would serve in achieving the goals you set out for yourself.  It is obvious that you are willing to do whatever it takes to be on top. That brings us to the pinnacle of your career thus far, investigating and deciding upon the case of Breonna Taylor.

On March 13, 2020, an event occurred that has probably changed your life in one way or another and the lives of others forever. There are certain careers that require an individual to set aside personal beliefs and opinions. You chose such a career. I can relate on some levels as a career in research cannot be based upon emotion and opinion, only the science and data. I was once told that “There is no crying in science”. Law is an entity that is very black and white. Some scenarios may require some creative interpretation, but clauses and loopholes tend to mitigate those occurrences. Much like putting together a puzzle, you are required to take all the pieces of evidence and documentation and place them into the correct spot and apply the correct law.  I can only imagine that this is quite a taxing and grueling process.  Knowing this about careers in law, I wonder how you were able to automatically put aside all humanity and emotion to solely become an enforcer of the law? In the six long months of reviewing the facts, civil unrest and political battles engulfed this country, multiple Black Americans were killed at the hands of law enforcement and the characters of these individuals were drug through the mud. How did you remain unaffected?  How did you continue the pursuit of justice, when the system is for “just us”, knowing that the “just us” excludes Black Americans of this country? Were you able to rest at night because you were just doing your job? As you saw the anguish of Breonna’s family, how were you able to remove all empathy from your heart? It is very obvious that this was not a failure of the justice system, the system worked as it was intended to, the victim became the criminal and the criminal became the victor.  This construct has been in place for centuries, working as intended relegating the lives of Black Americans as expendable and optional. What a coincidence the exact day this announcement was made to give an officer a slap on the wrist and the other two no consequence at all was the same day that the murders of Emmitt Till were acquitted. Truly history repeats itself, this time you ushered it in. As the spokesperson relegated to communicate this decision, I do hope you realize that you became their fall guy. You were used as the token in an attempt to get this country to believe that the criminal justice system provides justice for all.  After all, you look like us, so certainly the system must be for us also. Mr. Cameron you have sold your soul for professional advancement and possibly a Supreme Court seat. You have paid the ultimate price.  I do hope that you realize that no matter how many golf games you are invited to at the country club, or how many galas you and your wife attend, you are still a Black man in this country. Being in Kentucky, I would garner a guess that many see you as nothing more an uppity negro. Know that if the stuff hits the proverbial fan, and a person to blame is needed, you will be tossed into the fire to go down with the ship. 

Twelve million dollars was paid to Breonna Taylor’s family. It is very suspicious to pay a settlement if there was no fault in her murder. Twelve million dollars will not absolve you from your moral responsibility to be a common and decent human. I pray that in the future your heart will prevail, and it will not be able to be bought by the highest bidder. When you and your wife are blessed with children, I am sure you realize that they will be Black in a country that does not always respect Black Americans. There will not be any affluent neighborhood, private school or controlled peer group that will be able to wash away that they are still Black in the country with all the “benefits” that come along with that. While I am sure you married for love, part of me wonders if your choice in a life partner was based upon being able to help your future children have a better chance of succeeding in this country.  Did you hope that you would be able to dilute their blackness to go unnoticed when they enter society? Despite having mixed genetics in this country, they will always be seen and treated as Black. When we as Black people in this country take the unconventional route of professional success, there are certain sacrifices we must make to do so. During my journey I have had to walk away from some opportunities because they did not set well in my spirit.  I was taught that all money is not good money. A salary or rising to the next level of professional success was not worth my soul. You are treading into very dangerous territory. You are tethering yourself to people that are devoid of a moral compass. There will be a hefty price to pay for the sale of your humanity. It is obvious that you are struggling internally, your emotional turmoil was on full display during the press conference. You are struggling with reconciling Daniel Cameron, Attorney General and Daniel Cameron, the man. When your time comes to leave this Earth will you be able to say it was all worth it? Will the Lord be able to say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”? Will your conscience be clear, or will it be littered with 12 million reasons why it is not? While Ms. Taylor cannot be brought back, it is not too late for you to change course. You have time and opportunity to change the trajectory of your life.  You have the choice to be an advocate for changing the current judicial system so that it is a system for all Americans. This change may temporarily derail your career aspirations, but it could lead to a lifetime of success in this realm and beyond. The time is now, are you willing to regain ownership of your soul or will you continue to live your life in indentured servitude to those that mean harm to people that look like you?  The choice is yours Mr. Cameron, choose wisely.