I stand with you and I will not let you do this alone.

“In the end, we will not remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” MLK ⁣

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For a long time, I lived in a naive bubble. I was able to think “racism isn’t a thing still because I’m not racist, and I don’t know anyone who is racist.” I was able to put racist events in a box, writing them off as “acts of terrorism by a minuscule percent of the population.” ⁣

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Well, that bubble has popped. While I still believe that most people are not intentionally being racist, the system that we live in is rooted in racism and there are certain privileges that I am granted purely because of the color of my skin. ⁣

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I am privileged because I am white. I am granted certain benefits exclusively because of the color of my skin. I will never understand what it is like to have my complexion be the first thing people notice when I walk in a room. I will never have to wonder if people’s actions are based on the level of melanin in my skin. I have a privilege of not having my skin color be a factor in what happens to me or the decisions that I make. ⁣

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It’s is comfortable to blame this left wing verses right wing politics. It is easy to say “the problem is police are killing people. Not that they are killing black people.” I encourage you to step out of what is comfortable and what is easy and focus on the greater picture. Is this about the many black lives who have been lost unjustly by the police? Yes. But more than that is it about an unfair system that is putting black lives at a greater risk purely because of the color of their skin. It is about the lack of representation that all minorities face. This isn’t about your side of politics verses my side. This is about people. And we as people need to make a change. It is up to us to shake the system and change. ⁣

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So let’s have a conversation. If reading this made you uncomfortable, or I have said something you don’t like, let’s talk about it. I want to have this conversation because I believe that is the first step. ⁣

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If I have said something inadvertently racist in the past, call me out. I encourage you to hold me accountable, just as I will be holding you accountable. We can't be silent anymore.