Monday's Opening Thought: June 14, 2021

This week’s opening thought, for white people and people of color with power and privilege: If you do or say something racist and harmful to a Black, Brown, or Indigenous person, a person of color, they do not owe you the opportunity to explain why you did or said what you did or said. That’s not how this works. What you’re exhibiting are abuser mannerisms and behaviors. The harmed party does not owe you the space to explain away your harmful actions or rhetoric.

Understand that. Digest that. Your actions are your cross to bear and not the burden of those you harm. You will need to atone for your words and actions on your time and not off of the backs of those you’ve harmed.

And guess what? You lashing out at the person you’ve harmed because they won’t give you the opportunity to “explain it away?” Yeah, that’s abuser behavior too. Just sayin’.