Reflections on race: a series.

Hello, friends.

It’s nearly July, and June has been full – we’re ramping up for a huge fundraising event at work, dealing with staff turnover and the latest Covid wave, making summer plans (or trying to), and of course I am running and riding and reading, where I can. I’ve also been mulling over this blog series for a hot minute, and finally decided to take the plunge.

What, you may wonder, could a white woman from Texas possibly have to say about race? I wonder that myself, all the time. But one part of the answer is that I am still learning how to talk about race, how to deal with race (my own and other people’s) as a reality, how to recognize my own complicity in the systems that prop up white supremacy in this nation, how to do better.

I learn a lot, all the time, from the Black man I love, and from the articles and events and books we discuss together. It is not his job to teach me, but it is absolutely my job to learn. It is also my job – I believe – to share what I am learning. So I’m going to use this space, this summer (and probably beyond) to post occasional reflections on race, and what I’m learning about it.

I will (and do) get it wrong a lot. I am always searching for new resources, new voices to inform my journey, new ways to understand and participate in the work of equity and anti-racism. I welcome your feedback and discussion. We cannot heal what we do not name, and so my work here is partly to name, to reflect, to provoke reflection, and to move toward a future where all people are truly loved and valued equally, in all ways. I hope you’ll join me.

*The mural above is from the fantastic new production of 1776 at the ART, which features an all-female, trans and non-binary cast, many of them people of color. The mural was created by Artists for Humanity, an organization that, like ZUMIX (where I work), provides creative opportunities for young people, and serves primarily young people of color.

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