The fact that there are droves of white people up in arms over Black people sending their support to the citizens of Ukraine while calling out the European-flavored racism and white supremacy that is blatantly on display as Black folx are trying to flee an under siege Ukraine clearly says four things about white U.S. Americans.
Read MoreThis week’s opening thought: sometimes I don’t have an opening thought. Sometimes all I can do is suggest that we all take care of ourselves to take care of each other. No hot-takes or clever banter. Sometimes the best thing we can all do is disconnect from engaging with the steady stream of trauma playing out all around us and center our mental and emotional health and well-being.
Take care of yourself today to be here to help others and fight for humanity tomorrow.
Everybody needs a day off.
In today’s edition of “What In the Hell Is Wrong With This Country?”, we find ourselves in Florida. Florida's House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would prohibit "classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity" in the state’s primary schools.
Read MoreIn today's edition of "What In The Hell Is Wrong With This Country?" we find ourselves in Texas. Today, Texas Governor Greg Abbott officially directed Family and Protective Services to begin investigating all trans children in Texas and prosecuting their parents as child abusers. He has also instructed all teachers, doctors, and caregivers to begin reporting any trans students they see.
No, you're not reading that wrong.
Read MoreThis week’s opening thought: Someone tells me I’m “unprofessional” at least twice a month.
I’ll let you guess the race and melanin (or lack thereof) of the people who say this to me.
Sometimes it’s in an email. Now and again, it comes up in a meeting. I see it when I’m in a meeting, and I’m not wearing business casual, opting instead for a Kamen Rider t-shirt and jeans. I know how white people feel about when I’ve had an afro or facial hair that didn’t fit their belief system. I can see it on their faces, read it in their body language. I see them cringe when I use words like “y’all” instead of “you guys.” I sit and listen as they try to find the right words to make me uncomfortable with how I show up and exist in what they view as their space, trying to use broad general statements that say “we are professionals” when they really mean “you aren’t a professional.” I observe y’all going out of your way to push me into conformity with “professional standards” to inform me that I need white validation to be viewed as good or great at what I do. Here’s the thing, though:
I don’t need white validation to feel like a “professional.”
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