Every muse, I’m on a mission to uplift you, no matter the state of the world. Truth: this week, I wasn’t feeling up to it. So, that’s where two friends stepped in. One who showed me strength in how she dealt with a personal situation, and the other who brought my words back to me.
Dear co-writer, these words are dedicated to you (and they’re half you, too)!
Typically, I love wordplay and fun pictures. Semantics is my baby. But lately, there’s some name-calling going down.
Labels are getting thrown around, and they’re all about, yep, you probably guessed it–race.
Am I a…
Racist? No. Absolutely not.
Non-racist? Don’t say yes yet.
Anti-racist? Ding. Ding. Ding.
While I always thought being a non-racist was a good thing, it isn’t good enough. It’s too passive. In this label war, it makes me no better than a racist.
The anti-racist is the modern-day hero—someone who actively works to end racism in society.
I’m a mama, not a protestor. I’m not in the public sector with any kind of influence. I feel more like the hero’s sidekick; you know Neville in Harry Potter. How can I fight racism?
This Fourth of July, people are so angry. Alongside a valiant fight for justice, there’s name-calling, and judgments, too.
Hence I needed courage from my one friend and a brain from the other to finally get to the heart of this week’s muse and get back to Kansas. It was a bit like Dorothy’s search for The Wizard of Oz to get home again.
In reality, it’s not the labels that matter. We’re doing the fight for justice, a grave disservice if we live in fear of one another and worry about how we appear.
Yes, we want to make sure we don’t have any food in our teeth, but we can get so distracted worrying about what people think of us, stepping out of line, or saying the wrong thing that we miss the point entirely.
How about this? Let’s focus on our everyday actions and interactions regarding race.
We all can’t (or don’t want to) march and protest. But why should we? Social reform takes a village. No one can do everything alone. But some of us can:
- lobby our lawmakers
- work for police reform
- hire based on skill rather than skin color
- teach our children not to be prejudiced and to simply love others.
And all of us can treat everyone, no matter their race, with dignity, kindness and respect. Everyday.
As a mama with a muse, I’m going to continue to lead my kids by example and be the most loving, open, and forgiving person that I can be.
If someone insists I step up and join them and calls me a heated name for not doing so, I won’t like it, but I’ll love and forgive them anyway. The muse will go on even if I have to rally my friends behind me to do it!
So join a march, if that’s your strength and you feel compelled to do it. Go forth and march! And if that’s not your thing, you’re just as cherished.
Be the compassionate, loving person that you are. Continue to treat everyone with love, kindness, and respect so we can bring some harmony into the world again. That way, we can stand up against racism, and we can’t go wrong.
BRAVO, Stephanie! Well put! Was I one of those friends? If so….was I the brains or the courage? Happy 4th to you and all your loved ones. This muse was one of your finest yet!
Do you have to ask? You know you’re the brains and the courage!! Sending you all my love!! xo
🧡💜🤎💙💛🖤💚
I love it!! xo
Dear Stephanie: What a great time for your sharply-focused piece on one subject, the ongoing struggle against injustice. One thing I sense from a long life,learning from “liberal” parents of the ’30s, is that the landmarks are always changing, and so are the people. One example: I used to interview Richard Petty, the great auto racer, now an owner, and found him to be an engaging person, even as we laughingly jousted as he instantly outed me as “one of those liberal New Yorkers.” Now I see he is not only the patron of the only major black driver in Nascar, but also a leader in the discussion against racist symbols like nooses. Good for King Richard for sending a message to Nascar nation. People change at different rates and speeds. We help the change by keeping lines open, even as we take our old or new stands, as the standards shift. Thanks, George Vecsey, retired journalist, NY Times.
What a fantastic perspective you have, “People change at different rates and speeds. We help the change by keeping lines open, even as we take our old or new stands, as the standards shift.” I love to see things through your eyes. That would make a fabulous concept for a post. You have seen so much, and you continue to share your vast knowledge with humility and eloquence. Thanks for sharing this unique piece of who you are!