Is This My Story To Tell?

Over the last year I have been making an intentional effort to listen, learn, and seek out Black thinkers and leaders. Books I’ve been reading, social media folks I’ve been following, what I’ve been focused on on Facebook, that’s been much of my time.

I’ve come away with two summations for myself:

1) White people need to learn to hear “no” and live with it.

2) White people don’t always need to have their voices be heard.

As a writer, I’ve had to ask myself “Is this my story to tell?” when I have a thought or an insight about something I observe.

For example, my perspective on slavery does not add value to the conversation.

This is not “silencing” my voice. It’s acknowledging that the lived experience of other folks who still bear the weight of slavery’s impacts are more able and valuable on this topic. Their words are out there. Find them. Read them. Support them.

Then, from one of the folks I follow on Twitter I saw this:

And in the way of serendipity, I received this blog post from someone else I follow, using her platform to talk about the murders in Atlanta.

This is my family blog where I record the ebb and flow of our days. I don’t have a “platform.”

I have beloved friends and family who choose to read about our days. You may have no interest in reading about my anti-racism journey.

But when my children are grown, I need to be able to show them I was not silent in the face of racism and hatred and white supremacy.

My voice may be quiet, but I will not be silent.