BE HUMAN
Racism is real. As you seek to understand, I ask that you first have empathy. Empathy sounds simple because many people are empathetic, aren’t the problem and want to help (even when they don’t know how). Empathy is usually attached to a news cycle that fades to the back as life moves forward while racism mutates in another form somewhere else. Those who face prejudice suppress the realities of life as racism continues. Racism is not limited to murder. Racism permeates through our every day without media attention.
Many people reach out with thoughts, words of encouragement and questions of how to help. It's a tough question because everyone’s experience is so different within the bubbles they live. I ask you to force yourself out of your bubble to have conversations with as many black people as possible to hear multiple view points of their experiences. These conversations will give you a more holistic view. Force the conversation with black men, women, elders, teens and kids. Even those who make you uncomfortable. In return, share your own experiences, and not just the politically correct ones. The ones where you cross the street if you see a group of black men who don’t pass your eye test, the ones where you double take if you see a black person in the wrong context (fancy establishment), the ones where you frown upon actions that are culturally different from your own. Engage in true dialogue. You will find a deeper understanding of these racial challenges. You will find solutions that require action. You will find genuine friendships. You will create change.
It doesn’t stop there. It is your moral duty to take those experiences back to your bubble to those who lack the courage to actively create change. Passive behavior left to chance will always result in undesired outcomes. Challenge your bubble, talk to them, educate them, share what you learn, bring others into your bubble, bring others around your friends, in on your jobs, in your homes, in your everyday life. What you will find is a heart as pure as your own. What you will find is that black people are far from inferior, rather just as dynamic as any other race that exists, has existed and will exist on this Earth. This isn’t charity. This isn’t an initiative. This isn’t a cause. This is human.
