Imagine

Imagine if we could talk about race the way we talk about cultures.

💭If we felt curiosity instead of indifference.

💭If we acknowledged more readily when something is foreign to us, rather than insist it’s the same.

💭If we got excited at finding out the similarities between us, rather than resentful that we even looked for them.

💭If we questioned why we use certain names for certain products or organizations without calling each other names.

💭If we valued learning a people’s history the way we value learning a people’s language.

💭If we truly understood “a different perspective” rarely means I am absolutely right and you are absolutely wrong.

💭If we saw race as part of our and each other’s identity (as we do culture); neither irrelevant nor all-defining.

💭If these deeply personal conversations brought us closer together rather than farther apart.

I don’t like to ponder hypotheticals, only possibilities that we can take action on. So I propose we:

💥Ask questions instead of avoid.

💥Accept that we won’t relate to some things and not strain to find them relatable or deny them.

💥Get excited at discovering similarities we never imagined.

💥Think critically and re-evaluate how we have done things and what we call things without calling each other names.

💥Devote real attention to studying history from multiple sources with broad perspectives rather than accepting any account without question.

💥Acknowledge that different experiences breed different perspectives and not assume either of us is right or wrong too quickly.

💥Remember that being vulnerable in a “new land” or difficult topic takes courage, but also comes with an expectation of mutual respect.

Racial differences are not the same as cultural ones, but how we communicate about them doesn’t have to be worlds apart.

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