What are your thoughts about white exceptionalism, guilt, and shame? Have you felt that way? Have you been driven by toxic white guilt? I'll be completely honest and say that I felt what I would know now as white exceptionalism when I felt a bit holier than thou with white friends and family who were waking up to issues of race during the recent protests. Fortunately I kept those thoughts to myself, but they were still there. It's one of the reasons I took this course- I saw those ugly feelings of "oh I already know about this" pop up and realized I needed to do more work on myself. That feels bad to admit, but it's what was happening in my heart. I used to feel a lot of shame about my complicity in the system and now when I feel guilt about it I take that as a signal to do something productive- donate, reach out to legislators, have a conversation with a friend or family member, or look inward to see what I need to change personally.