The events in Charlottesville, VA 10 days ago smacked me in the face and left me paralyzed. White supremacy is is NOT OK. It makes me feel gaggy in my throat with anger. It makes me damn mad.
I know I am not alone in that feeling. I know that there are more of us than them.
I also know that I am not surprised about what happened in Charlottesville.
I see my privilege. I am white…I am middle-upper class…I am married…I am educated. People assume that makes me like them when we are probably pretty different.
I see the things that make me less privileged. I am queer…I am a stepmother…I am a woman…I am a feminist. People assume that makes me different than them when we are probably pretty similar.
I also know that I am afraid that I might say the wrong thing.
What if the activists get mad at me for not saying the perfect social justice words? What if my African-American friends think I am not doing enough to combat racism? What if someone sees me doing my work and thinks I am just a big asshole?
And then a dear friend sent me a link to this AMAZING blog and I am pretty sure that my entire soul split WIDE OPEN.
Not only did Layla Saad give me permission to screw up if I spoke out against white supremacy but then she just tore my skin clean off when she unabashedly and without fear told white women like me that we HAVE TO SPEAK OUT against white supremacy.
Here it is right here: “Their fear of speaking out imperfectly or of being criticised stops them from saying anything at all.” -Layla Saad
BAM! BOOM! HOLY CRAPOLA!
Did she just say that? Did she really say it out loud? I have often waited and waited for literally months to speak out against injustice, racism, sexism, homophobia because I let the FEAR of imperfect messages paralyze me. I eventually get around to to but often after I have waited for the PERFECT words to come to me.
Well forget about it. I am not a perfect activist but I know perfectly damn well that racism is unacceptable in this nation. I will continue to do everything in my power to combat racism in my work, my family, my community, and my country. I have challenged my friends to speak out and they have. I have challenged my elected officials to take a stand and they have. I have asked my fellow activist friends how I can help take action and I have done what they told me to do.
To that end, I am so excited that I was interviewed for Our American Discourse by USC Bedrosian Center to talk about my own brand of activism and what it means for America. Is it perfect? Nope. But damn skippy it is so juicy GOOD! We talked about politics, racism, and the Graceful Revolution. Plus, Anthony and I talk about my new program I put together with Dr. Briana Morgan called Marginalized No More.
You can check out my interview here:
Showpage: https://goo.gl/o93aPc Soundcloud: https://goo.gl/kpFMRX iTunes: https://goo.gl/vbujCH Google Play: https://goo.gl/kW5yne
I am actively dismantling the systems that keep patriarchy and white supremacy alive and I am doing the best I can with what I’ve got. I hope that you are too.
Cheers,
P.S. If you want a sneak peek of Marginalized No More sign up for my newsletter here on my website. If you sign up before we launch in September you get 10% off (a $25 savings) and the first module gets sent to you right away.