Ep# 092: I'm White + I Have Something to Say...

The world feels heavy right now, but I think that’s how things always feel before change comes. The reality is, there are groups of people who have felt this heaviness everyday for their entire lives. Their family has felt it for generations. Some of us are really just waking up to the reality now because it’s in the news, it’s in our faces and affecting us every day. But this isn’t a new reality. This is such an important conversation to have. Far too often in the past I have found myself unsure of how to address this. I didn’t know my place. As a white woman, is this my plight? Is it appropriate for me to speak up? What do I say? And then I remembered what I was taught and how I was raised… There’s a seat at our table.  When there’s an injustice, you shine a light on it. When your brothers and sisters are being wronged, you stand for what’s right. You protect and you serve and you love the underdog.  I used to think that colorblindness was the goal, but I know now that’s just ignorance to what’s actually happening every day, and ignorance is a choice as an adult.  So how do we move forward in a way that is 1) respectful to the people that are experiencing the pain, 2) helpful to the people who need to be served, and 3) acknowledges the ways that we can do better? Head to the show notes for all of the resources mentioned in today's show: www.elizabethhartke.com/podcast/092