In the past I have shied away from writing about politics because I never feel that I know “enough” to be someone who should be putting information out there. That seems sort of silly now given the amount of news outlets that write whatever they want, ignoring truths for their own agendas. I’ve always wanted to make sure I know all the facts before putting pen to paper, or fingers to a keyboard. Silly me, right? But now, given everything happening in our country that I so vehemently disagree with, I feel that I have to take a stab at “being political”.

My platform is tiny, my voice is tiny, a drop in the endless of bucket of the opinions and voices in our country, but if I do not speak up, even here, than I am not serving my friends and family currently under attack by our own government. Of course, speaking or writing in this way opens me up to a slew of criticisms from those who disagree with me but also from those who, on a baseline, agree with me.

Let me clarify. I am in a constant state of learning. I am always open to the thoughts and ideas and facts and articles of others that will help me to understand the world at large, especially now. Though I am an ally to those who are not at all like me, that does not mean I know what it is to be them or to see things from their perspective. I can try but I will never be them. I am often careful to recognize my privilege and to be wary of using their struggle as my own platform. I am constantly vigilant to make sure I do not do this, but of course, I can mess up, and that is where I need help.

I welcome constructive criticism. That is why I am writing this post. I rely on a vast network of intelligent people to keep me informed and to educate me. With their support I feel like I can put myself out there. They can help me grow as an effective voice in the resistance of hatred.

I will be blunt. This is terrifying. It is absolutely terrifying to hear from someone you love and respect that you’ve messed up. There’s no doubt about it that checking your privilege is uncomfortable, that it sometimes hurts, that it tests friendships. But you have to be willing to work very hard to see real change and to make a real impact.

I know the fear of being proved wrong and the fear of people finding out you are not as “woke” as you seem on paper is strong. I know that it is scary. But if you allow yourself to talk it through with someone different from you, if you ASK THEM HOW YOU CAN HELP INSTEAD OF GUESSING AND ACTING ON THAT GUESS, you will find that you’re doing the real work that’s required right now.

We’re in an uncomfortable place right now. But growth comes from challenge and so if I can sit here and write something that at its core makes me so uncomfortable my stomach is doing flips, than you can be brave too. We can keep fighting alongside one another in mutual respect and love.

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See you next week when I introduce you to the regular people being affected by the hiring freeze…