A Quick Open Letter to White People

White people,

There will be some Black people who will give you the side eye when you ask them if they’ve seen the latest Oscar bait chattel slavery movie, hit them with a “factoid” about being Black in the United States you just learned, or share your opinion on Black folx’s business (*cough* Brittney Griner *cough*) that ain’t got nothing to do with you. Some Black people will give you that side eye because they weighed out whether they should read you for filth or let you sit with discomfort as they look at you with supreme judgment, and the latter took less energy and time than the former. Some Black people will then not talk to you for a while so that they can make sure you have to sit with yourself and process your messiness sans Black people. Some Black people will hope you learn something from the experience but know deep down in their souls that you will not.

It’s me.

I’m some Black people.

[Image description: a picture of Black comedian Bernie Mac giving someone the side eye. His sunglasses are resting low on his nose as his side eye looks to the left.]

Image description: a picture of Black comedian Bernie Mac giving someone the side eye. His sunglasses are resting low on his nose as his side eye looks to the left.

This Week's Opening Thought: December 5, 2022

This week's opening thought: I've had many companies and team leaders reach out to me for equity and anti-racism training and consultation over the years. During this time, I would say that half of those who've reached out to me for my services seek someone to convince their white leaders and team members that they should care about every person they work with. And that's one of the core problems with what many people believe equity and anti-racism work is: finding ways to dupe someone into caring for others.

There is no method or belief system built into equity and anti-racism work that can "convince" someone to care about the lives and societal and generational trauma of others. No one should have to be "convinced" that they should care about others. No one should have to con someone into being a human being that cares for others without kudos and photo ops. You can't trick someone into caring about Black lives, queer lives, and the struggles of Global Majority communities. You can't sucker someone into caring about accessibility and safer, braver spaces for all.

If you can't care about others without someone massaging your ego and constantly reinforcing your need to believe you're a good person? Then I'm still not convincing you to care.

I'm being asked to give you a participation award while co-signing and normalizing your lack of interest in empathy and compassion unless it benefits you in some way.

And you're asking me to do this as a Black man in the United States.

You're asking people who are a part of communities that are consciously and unconsciously harmed by those you want them to "convince" to do the heavy lifting. And if you're seeking those services, you've likely convinced yourself that this was the only way this work could be done in your organization.

I'm convinced many of y'all need more than convincing.

This Week's Opening Thought: November 28, 2022

This week's opening thought: If candidates, hiring managers, and staff members in your organization give you feedback on your interview process, and you hear your organization's interviews feel like:

• Interrogations;

• High-pressure situations where candidates feel like they have to show how much they love your company to possibly work for you (without knowing anything about your workplace culture other than what you've told them) instead of being evaluated for what they'd bring to your company;

• You're making candidates run a gauntlet of sorts with seemingly endless interviews in a lengthy months-long process;

• or "gotcha" situations where candidates feel they have to give the "right" answers to be considered for the job?

Your company needs to re-evaluate its anti-racism statement, equity and inclusion statement, and the company values that they like to trot out and wave like a flag of honor because y'all aren't living up to any of that.

Just sayin'.

This Week's Opening Thought: November 21, 2022

This week’s opening thought: We’re coming off a weekend where the Trans Day of Remembrance was marred with the dark clouds of another violent hate crime. We’re also going into a week with a supremely problematic national holiday representing the erasure of Native folx and factual history in the United States during the month slated as Native American Heritage Month.

To say that this is a week of trauma on many levels for many communities is an understatement.

These are moments in time when I find myself struggling for words. I think about action and inaction and the impacts of both, regardless of intent. But mostly, I think about safety: whom our society believes is deserving of it, the absence of it for so many communities. At this time, the only thing that comes to mind is this:

Everyone deserves safety.

Physical safety. Emotional safety. It should be for everyone. It’s ridiculous that, overtly and covertly, it’s not.

Safety should not be a privilege only available to white cishet Christians on unceded land. No one should have to live with the understanding that you’ll pass on the generational trauma of knowing that you and those who come after you will likely never be or feel safe as you navigate the world. Hate should never be a core part of living freely and openly as yourself. We all should be able to live happily in our identities, our cultures, and our communities without the fear of murder. And if you disagree with any part of this?

You are a contributor to a clear and present danger.

My heart and soul go out to LGBTQIA+ communities, to trans communities, after the traumatic hate crime that occurred in Colorado Springs this past weekend. My heart and soul go out to the families and communities impacted by the terrorist attack at Club Q. And my heart and soul go out to Native and Indigenous communities in the United States as we approach a harmful and invalidating national holiday. May there be some peace and love for you amid so much trauma.

Some Thoughts on Voting on Election Day 2022

Image description: A screenshot of a measure from the 2022 Oregon midterm election. The measure centers around the Oregon State Constitution stating that slavery and involuntary servitude are prohibited - unless it’s considered punishment for a crime.

Here’s an example of why voting matters. The picture accompanying these words is a ballot measure rundown for the Oregon 2022 midterms. The highlighted measure in question is a measure called Measure 112. Measure 112 addresses a state constitutional matter. You see, the Oregon State Constitution was amended some years ago to remove most of the white supremacist racist language that was its foundation. Not all. Most. Most of the language was addressed via amendments. However, those amendments created loopholes in state constitutional law. And what is the loophole that Measure 112 addresses? Slavery and involuntary servitude are prohibited - unless it’s considered punishment for a crime.

You read that right.

I should’ve been surprised when I saw this on the ballot, but I wasn’t. Over the years, I’ve seen some of the horrific things removed from the Oregon State Constitution, leftovers from Oregon’s founding as a white utopia. What sits with me whenever I see these things is that we have to put removing racist laws from a state constitution to a freaking vote. This should be a given: abolish hateful laws without asking the public for their opinion. Yet we all know we couldn’t be further from a consensus on hate and history as a country if we tried. And you know some people will vote “no” on removing this hateful loophole. If enough people don’t vote “yes” to have this removed, how long do you think it’ll take before some cruel creature of a person or law enforcement in some small Oregon town weaponizes this loophole?

Why do we vote? We vote because we are nowhere near a point in U.S. history where our laws and human rights are intended to apply to all citizens.

[Image description: A screenshot of a measure from the 2022 Oregon midterm election. The measure centers around the Oregon State Constitution stating that slavery and involuntary servitude are prohibited - unless it’s considered punishment for a crime.]