As a white girl, I can certainly relate to a lot of what those who are white said. I grew up having fairly racist family members say things that never felt okay to me, even as kid. I'm thankful that, for whatever reason, I wasn't brainwashed to believe what they do. However I'm also well aware I have biases (hidden or not) that I cannot excuse myself from. As a social worker, I'm really thankful for the education I got because it was in those classes I really began to sit down and do the internal work of realizing what I've been told my whole life + what I've believed vs. what is actually true. I'll never forget taking a multi-cultural 3 hour discussion class every week, and how my eyes were opened so much thanks to my classmates sharing their stories. Hearing people of color tell story after story about the discrimination they've faced, hearing how they felt when white folks dressed up as someone from their culture for halloween, and more. I'm forever grateful for the opportunity I had to listen and take part in those discussions because I've never seen things the same. As a white person, I know that the opportunity to learn will literally never end. And I'm forever thankful for people of color's willingness & courage to share their stories, use their voices to educate those who've done so much harm, and demand change. They shouldn't have to (broke my heart to see kids having to tell the camera they won't hurt anyone), but I can only hope that us white folks value their time and, more importantly, value their lives so that we can do better and lift up others that look different than us and appreciate them for the beautiful individuals they are.
