From George Floyd to white comfort

It’s been a little over three years since the murder of George Floyd. During COVID we came face to face with lynching and racism and couldn’t just pass on by because we were all stuck inside. So, what did we do? We turned phrases we didn’t understand (as White people) like “critical race theory” andContinue reading “From George Floyd to white comfort”

Brokenhearted

“Being brokenhearted leads to clarity about our unwillingness to abide racist behavior. It is very disheartening to hear white people who are not trying to move beyond being allies try to explain acts of racist terror and other daily denigrations of people of color with oversimplifications instead of properly naming them. The energy generated fromContinue reading “Brokenhearted”

Yes, I see color

“…I have concluded that for the most part such comments (“I don’t see color”) are an attempt to communicate a willingness to see beyond color. That’s admirable, but proclaiming not to see color does not get that point across very well. White people who are determined to confront racism in the outer world and inContinue reading “Yes, I see color”

Race and the conversation

“We have to do far more than talk about racism, but the work of transformation must engage conversation. Transformation cannot take place in a vacuum, but it can emerge even from relationships that are complicated and painful. And even situations that are disturbing and appear mostly negative can result in change, sometimes almost without beingContinue reading “Race and the conversation”

The way forward is with courage

It is MLK Day. I will see enough softball quotes of Dr. King today to last me awhile. This is my annual invitation for you to read “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Go look it up. I’m not even going to allow the convenience of a link here to help you. If you haven’t read itContinue reading “The way forward is with courage”

Freeing ourselves of the confirmation bias

Catherine Meeks in her book, The Night is Long but Light Comes in the Morning, has a meditation on the “shadow” in our lives. It’s that unseen force in our lives that will fill in the gaps between fact and our perception. We have a way of seeing something, or someone, and it is quicklyContinue reading “Freeing ourselves of the confirmation bias”