Unrest

This is a culmination of the continued ignorance that our nation has decided was “okay”. It has been okay to ignore racist comments, okay to tell inappropriate jokes, okay to exclude certain groups of people from narratives… and I’m tired of it. But this is not about me. It’s never been about me.

My heart hurts for all of my friends who are sick and tired of fighting. You deserve better. We as a nation deserve better. Human rights are for every human being. Plain and simple. No matter our color, creed, sex, age, orientation - we all have rights. We can no longer sit as bystanders claiming that it doesn’t affect us. It affects all of us, so get your head out of the damn sand.

I’m not here to tell you what you should do or how you should feel. That’s not my job, nor is it your friends’ jobs. But let me put this into a different light: if you are an ally, you are required to be genuine, authentic, congruent, and act with integrity like your life depends on it. Gone are the days where our friends will tolerate our self-appointed ally conversation.

If you stand for something, you better walk that freaking walk because there is no time to be “figuring this out” anymore. If you hear that racist comment, how would your best self handle it? How does our best self show up for uncomfortable conversations? How are you speaking up offline, in real life? How are you reacting to the microaggressions you see on a daily basis? How are you choosing to show up for your friends?

Reading has been a key psychological development tool for me. Currently, I’m several chapters into a book called Leadership and Self-Deception. It was recommended to me by my boss and I couldn’t have started it at a better time. This has helped bring some realizations to current events as I try to process what is happening in our nation.

We all have a problem. That problem is self-deception. We think we’re acting a certain way, but our intentions behind that action are showing our true colors. There’s a quote that someone said once and this remains ingrained in my head: “people don’t always remember what you say, but they do remember how you make them feel”. You can do and say all the right things, but if your heart isn’t in it, the beauty of human nature is that we can all tell.

You can donate to the right funds, join the protests for support, send supplies where needed, post all the things online, but if you don’t truly stand for this change when it actually gets tough, you are nothing but a fraud. We have to continue having these uncomfortable conversations with our peers or family that exhibit racist behavior. It is our responsibility to speak up.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion is important for the well-being of our nation and our world. Don’t be a surface-level supporter. Be a true ally to our friends when they need us most. Do better. Be better. And most of all, always practice compassion.

Rachel