A cry consumes the hearts of all Americans who are left questioning what has happened to our land. Why do we hate? Why have we let our hatred consume us and conquer us and our motives? Why have we forgotten the value of life, and why do we refuse to love others that differ from us? What has America become? What has humanity become?

Maya Angelou once said, "The plague of racism is insidious, entering into our minds as smoothly and quietly and invisibly as floating airborne microbes enter into our bodies to find lifelong purchase in our bloodstreams." This "plague" consumes our nation in such a dangerous degree that no one feels safe. Humanity is not to be divided and segregated based upon race, for there is only one race, the human race. In fact, we must not segregate ourselves on any other issue. Today, no skin color is safe. No sexuality is safe. No religion is safe. No innocent individual is safe. Yet, we still hate.

Hate crimes are not justifiable, and hate in our hearts is not any less wrong.

Now, we must look within ourselves and examine our hearts. Do we find hatred or love? Martin Luther King, Jr. emphatically stated, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." May we, not only as Americans, yet as humans, live with this mindset. Change will never come if we continue to hate. Change will never come if we remain complacent.

Hatred has no excuse, and we must eliminate it from who we are. We cannot point fingers at murderers if we hold the same hate towards others in our hearts. If we hate, we have already committed murder in our hearts.

Why has diversity become life threatening? Why have differences harvested evil motives?

We are called to love. Love those who you do not agree with. Love those who are different from you. Love. That is how we can change.

Unfortunately, by the time this article will be published, more lives will end at the hands of hatred. Dallas, Philando Castile and Alton Sterling will soon be replaced with new news, new breaking news reporting that more lives have ended.

It should not be this way. I should not have to live in fear.

Our lives can bring about change, we can end this hatred. We need to stand together, appreciating our differences. We need to unify, blacks and whites, gays and straights, Christians and atheists, standing hand in hand, determined to eliminate hate from our hearts. It inevitably starts with each of us. We are all humans, not labels. We are humans, not to be replaced with hatred. We are humans, and we can bring about change.