One of the things that Ive heard from the white folks in my family and close friends is how intensely sad and furious and powerless they feel about Ferguson -- Youve asked me what you can do to make a difference, and I am telling you TALKING ABOUT THIS with other white people who disagree with you is a good one. A really really good one. Spectra here says it better than me, but when you step up into hard conversations where youre scared but still telling the truth, and doing it with people -- like your parents, your partners, your children and your co-workers -- that are more conservative than you, you are *drastically* changing the narrative about what happened to Mike Brown. You are changing the narrative about what we can agree on. Your opinion matters here, especially to those you are most intimate with. And to those you are less close to, but who you see on a regular basis (like co-workers, like the gas station attendant or the barista who serves you coffee), its a LOT to even say out loud something like, Its a shame what they did to that kid up in Missouri. And what theyre still doing to his family, friends and neighbors. Talk to each other. Push through your fears. If you cry a little, too, its okay. Like that pastor said in Ferguson, we will love our way through this, but only if we are brave enough to have the conversation in the first place.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 04:06:12 +0000
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