The First Step to Fixing a Problem is...

Once again it's not the right time to be talking about beauty products. I know that everyone is posting and talking about social and racial injustice this week and everyone should be. So here's my piece.

I remember a fleeting conversation I overheard a few years back while in a store...one lady said to another, "I don't care what colour they are - I like everyone the same; I don't see why they should get any special recognition when we should all just be equal."

I think everyone would agree that's not an implicitly racist statement and I truly believe the woman likely thought herself to be an anti-racist who strove for equality. On one hand I completely agree with her statement. But this one phrase she spoke kept whispering in my ear every time I heard the words 'white privilege' after that. 

While neither she nor I would consider ourselves racist - what I don't think she understood (and has taken me a while to 'get'), is that we are not all equal....and until some magical time when we all truly are, then we should not treat everyone equally. 

We should have extra empathy, compassion, understanding, and support for anybody who either as an individual or as a collective has not been granted the same opportunities, respect, and privilege as we have been.

By recognizing that in reality not everyone is treated equally - only then can we help to bridge the divide and start the process of creating a truly equal society. 

It's a basic principle...

So I encourage anyone is who still struggling with the violence of the protests and the harshness of the anger, to - without condoning it - at least understand where it stems from. From the dismissed peaceful kneeling of football players, to the ignored award winners speeches - peaceful protesting has not been a success for the black community thus far. So when some of them elevate it to the next level, is it really so surprising? They are fighting for issues that should have been resolved fifty years ago and yet are still a part of their every day lives.

I abhor violence of any kind and will point out that great strides have been made without it in the past by the likes of Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. But I also know that if all you focus on during this week is the violence of the riots, then you're not really understanding the greater problem at all. 

To better understand systematic racism, here's a great video. Even by taking a few minutes to watch it, think about it, and ponder about whether you might have some views that could be seen through a different perspective you hadn't thought of before.  By doing just that little bit, you're starting to be part of the solution.

This is also a great video to share with your kids; it's a great way to help explain what's going on in the world and the deep roots of why. 

I would love nothing more than to live in a world where everything we do is guided by love, peace, and equality. But until that happens, let's all admit that there is a problem and try to be an active part of the solution in any way we can - even if that just means being open to a new perspective.