I’m going to be honest, I really never jumped on the bandwagon of #blacklivesmatter until recently. As a white person, I really never felt like it was my battle, or my place really. I’ve heard a lot about authenticity, own voices, not speaking for minorities like “whitesplaining.” I didn’t want to be insulting or presumptuous that I had anything to bring to the table. I didn't want to be accused of trying to be a “white savior.”
Or maybe I felt like I would be "virtue signaling." You know, the social justice warriors who just clog your feed with memes but never actually do anything for the causes they post about? So I just stayed out of it, afraid of offending. Maybe you are feeling the same way. Maybe you’ll change your mind after you hear what I have to say.
An (imperfect) metaphor
So let me make something clear. I do NOT know what it is like to be a minority living in Omaha. I have friends who are, but I cannot speak for them. However, I want to share something that changed the way I feel about speaking up for them.
Permit me to share an experience that parallels this just a little. As many of you know, I pretty much spend all my time working on being a better teacher. I eat, breathe and sleep Spanish. The school year before last, I was very proud at how far my students came in their Spanish language proficiency, which I charted and encouraged through goal-setting so they could see too. However, this year I felt like I had nothing but complaints about their ability from their current teacher. It was so disheartening and I felt like a huge failure. I knew what I saw, concrete evidence of their progress and achievement, but hearing those words and the disapproval of a colleague I respect cut me to the core.
Then, it all changed. Several other teachers reached out to me. They validated me. They wanted me to share my methods with them. Suddenly, I no longer felt alone, unappreciated, less than. Someone saw me. Someone saw my value. Did everything change immediately? Of course not. This will take time. But breaking their silence let me know I was no longer alone. Which was EVERYTHING.
I cannot resolve systemic racism that exists in every institution of our society and that is ingrained in our culture. I can watch how minorities are treated. I can pledge to try not to treat them differently. I can listen when a person of color tells me their experiences of being treated unfairly or just the sideways glances or more subtle microaggressions, without becoming defensive. I can speak up and just let people of color know that I am on their side.
How about you? Are you with me?
Permit me to share an experience that parallels this just a little. As many of you know, I pretty much spend all my time working on being a better teacher. I eat, breathe and sleep Spanish. The school year before last, I was very proud at how far my students came in their Spanish language proficiency, which I charted and encouraged through goal-setting so they could see too. However, this year I felt like I had nothing but complaints about their ability from their current teacher. It was so disheartening and I felt like a huge failure. I knew what I saw, concrete evidence of their progress and achievement, but hearing those words and the disapproval of a colleague I respect cut me to the core.
Then, it all changed. Several other teachers reached out to me. They validated me. They wanted me to share my methods with them. Suddenly, I no longer felt alone, unappreciated, less than. Someone saw me. Someone saw my value. Did everything change immediately? Of course not. This will take time. But breaking their silence let me know I was no longer alone. Which was EVERYTHING.
I cannot resolve systemic racism that exists in every institution of our society and that is ingrained in our culture. I can watch how minorities are treated. I can pledge to try not to treat them differently. I can listen when a person of color tells me their experiences of being treated unfairly or just the sideways glances or more subtle microaggressions, without becoming defensive. I can speak up and just let people of color know that I am on their side.
How about you? Are you with me?
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