Change is a part of our every day lives, we look for solutions to problems all the time. In Australia, they imported cattle. Soon they realized they had a new problem, cow plops. If you know cow poo, it's big and wet and sloppy. The dung beetle in Australia was equipped for kangaroo dung, which is much smaller and drier. So, cow specific dung beetles had to be imported to alleviate this problem. The car was invented to solve the problem of horse poo on the streets, a way to clean up the street. However, it caused a new different pollution problem, one we're still dealing with today.
We've had change to correct racism, time, and time again. One of the most recent changes was Affirmative Action. While on paper this may sound good, it was a fix and caused a lot of new problems. Fixing or changing things comes from judgment, something is wrong and it needs to be corrected. Here's the thing, when we change and fix things, the original is still there. Have you seen A Bug's Life? Heimlich, my favorite character, is a caterpillar and in the end, he has wings, but he's a caterpillar with wings.
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| https://pixar.fandom.com/wiki/Heimlich |
What we want is transformation.
Think again of that caterpillar. In that chrysalis that caterpillar isn't just hanging out and changing...it turns to a liquid and its molecules are completely realigned. [If anyone on here is a biologist, I apologize. I'm sure my description is elementary and possibly inaccurate. Stick with me for the point I'm making, not for my scientific accuracy!] Think of that carbon that becomes a diamond under pressure. Our country is under pressure now, the combination of Covid-19 and the murder of a black man by the knees of four police officers has tipped us over the edge. We've been teetering on that edge for decades.
So, what's required for transformation?
Well, one of the best ways I know is for us to look. Especially us white folk. What do we take for granted? How can we take responsibility (not blame - responsibility is empowering, blame and shame are disempowering) for the fact that our fellow Americans are NOT afforded the same rights as we are? How can we take responsibility for this, on a personal level? A friend of mine realized today that she speaks softly and gently to Black people when she speaks to them. This really floored her, but this realization gives her access to noticing and altering her speaking and listening. How did she come to this? She asked her Black neighbor what it was like in her skin. THAT'S being responsible.
How do you begin to take responsibility?
Being curious is a great first step, Curiosity is a powerful tool. I DON'T know what it's like to be Black. I do know what it's like to be a minority because I grew up overseas. My experience as a White child living in a local neighborhood in Togo was more like I was an anomaly. I was a blond girl with straight hair that everyone wanted to touch. I created a new language with the neighbor girl since we didn't speak the same language. We were treated as honored guests at ceremonies we were invited to.... That is NOTHING like the experience of daily being treated differently in your own country. I'm really present to how damn lucky I am to be White. It makes me feel incredibly sad for our neighbors with darker skin. In addition to sadness, I'm SO present to their power and strength. I'm moved by the worldwide peaceful protests and the solidarity they are creating. It is time for a transformation, a metamorphosis. The time is now.
So, what can you do?
It doesn't have to be big. Be open that YOUR view of the world isn't THE view of the world for everyone. Ask questions. Speak up when someone says something you wouldn't want to hear (even if it's meant well, have a conversation about how it might sound). Get curious. Educate yourself on Black history and how America's past created what we are experiencing today. Clean up what you discover about yourself, apologize where you see you need to. Taking responsibility is a sign of strength, not weakness.
How do we move forward as a country?
The only way we move beyond our past is to take responsibility. As a nation. As the Australians recently did with the aboriginals. As the Germans and South Africans did. Taking responsibility starts the healing of the deep wounds of the past. Pretending it's all ok doesn't.
Congratulations, you made it! Thanks for bearing with me and not getting upset -- or, if you are upset, I hope it's the stirring of taking responsibility for the injustice in our country. Take that and use it as fuel. Get curious, be engaged, discover your role in creating a new future for our country. You can start by reading the articles above. Or maybe you can ask a Black person to touch their hair? Be willing to ask and be surprised by the answer. A curious heart is a loving one.
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