An honest conversation about race…
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that the United States is in turmoil. And, as adults, we know there are no “easy” answers.
As a teen healthy relationship expert and youth speaker, I certainly don’t have them all.
And neither do you.
Which makes talking to your teen about the painful history and present-day realities of racial injustice so difficult.
But if the aftermath from the unjust deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd have shown us anything, it’s this….
Remaining silent does nothing but pile on tinder of pain, frustration, anger, and unrest to an already smoldering fire ready to explode.
And young people especially, are sick of the silence.
They’re protesting in cities across the country and even the world to demand we do something to fix it…
Because Silence Isn’t Golden
This past week a high school classmate, who is a pastor, reached out to me to ask for advice on how to address his congregation about what has been going on in our country.
Less than 5 minutes later, I read a Facebook post from Brian Dixon, a successful white male business coach and co-founder of the Hope Writers community.
Brian and I met at a conference a couple of years ago.
I reached out to Brian to ask if I could share his post with my high school classmate, as it helped to answer my former classmate’s question about privilege.
He suggested we jump on a call to discuss it further.
We ended up talking for almost 2 hours on our teleconference call!
Brian’s too nice to admit I talked his ear off. Lol But he listened intently as I shared some of my personal experiences growing up as a black woman in America.
Afterwards, Brian invited me to join him on a Facebook Live to share the same insights with his community.
Can I be transparent here?
Initially, I was reluctant to do it.
But after praying about it, God reassured me that this was an opportunity to shed some light and speak truth in love to an audience for whom many this conversation is new and uncomfortable.
Not to mention very much necessary if we are ever going to affect lasting change.
Now that it’s over, I am so thankful Brian extended the invitation because it turned out to be a great experience for me.
And based on the feedback, it was eye-opening for others as well.
Train Up a Child in the Way S/he Should Go…
I’m humbled and grateful the conversation about my lived experiences could open the eyes of so many.
And I invite you and your daughter to go here to check out our conversation.
At the end of the video, I mention some things adults can do if they’re interested in learning more.
And teens can do the same.
Open and honest discussions about racial injustice are important to have in every household in America.
Especially with our young people.
As our future leaders, they are the ones we’re going to count on to get it right.
And their leadership training starts right now…
P.S. As a country, we cannot afford to let this moment pass us by and remaining silent is no longer an option. We must have the painful and uncomfortable conversations about racial injustice so we can begin to move forward and heal. That’s what this discussion I had with Brian was about. Watch it with your daughter and use it as a conversation-starter for your own open and honest discussions at home. Then brainstorm actions you can take individually and as a family to help move the needle towards progress. Obviously, lasting change isn’t going to happen overnight, but something tells me your daughter’s generation is going to help lead the way. 😉
