Standing Up.

I am about as naive and sheltered as they come. I grew up in an extremely Anglo-Saxon, white, middle class city with a VERY narrow religious realm. I was primarily unfamiliar with varying demographics. I knew that I hated “racist” jokes and comments and felt more comfortable with my Mexican friends than with many other people in the school. But it wasn’t until a multicultural class in college that I started tapping in to what truly was wrapped up in racism. My first time hearing the term “white privilege” made me very uncomfortable and defensive. But as a decade and a half has gone by I am realizing more and more what that privilege really means, how it affects MILLIONS of people on a daily basis and how racist I am without even knowing it. It feels like this awakening for me is one step forward and three steps back and too frequently involves inserting my foot in my mouth. Regardless, what has happened in the United States since day ONE regarding minorities and particularly African-Americans is awful, deplorable and heart-wrenching. Though I will stand up in imperfect and clunky ways, I will stand up. We need to use our privilege, our voice, our rights to help those who should have had all three from the beginning! Who stands with me??