Black People

Black people.

Just saying those words makes me feel like a racist. I was raised to have the kind of mindset of a person who would walk into a room of people and take absolutely no mind to anyone's differences, especially the color of someones skin. To even notice it meant you were a racist. I used to say "all lives matter", for exactly that reason. It didn't feel like anyone was being oppressed. It appeared to me that everyone and everything was "just fine". It took exposing myself to people outside of the little white bubble I grew up in, and finally began hearing different perspectives. I still wasn't listening, but I see now that I wasn't ready. I didn't know how. My brain literally wouldn't accept anything other than "what I was taught", because "what I was taught" was "obviously right".

It was't until I completely altered my routine, I quit drinking, and found a lot of time on my hands that needed to be refilled. This allowed me to get bored, then curious, and then interested in learning, in general. AFTER that, I discovered that my worldview was completely skewed and single-minded. Only then could I finally begin to ask questions. Only then could I begin to actually listen well enough to absorb the information that I found was all there if I only looked for it. White people have to WANT to listen. Black people have been speaking about this for generations.

I think we have got to instill curiosity, somehow.

I'm listening...