2024 Playbook – It is gonna be a hard year

January 4, 2024

Before we start, this Buddhist temple in Seattle is heavily damaged due to arson. They have a fund to rebuild. This is an important place for the local Japanese American and broader community.

Photo by Walls.io on Pexels.com Picture of light board sign saying #HAPPY 2024, with gold ornament balls and a stem glass with pale yellow liquid in it.

In past years I’ve written posts encouraging people to make commitments around race for the new year. They were good posts with important ideas to spark some action and encourage new ways of thinking. This year though, I am taking a break from that idea. If you’re looking for some ideas to start your new year, please look at previous posts – there are some great ideas there.

As we look at the new year, let’s be real – it is going to be a hard year. I don’t say this to be disparaging and meh, but to be real. 2024 will include a very consequential presidential election and court cases. Other elections at state and local levels will also have ramifications for daily life. Climate change continues to force us to adapt and change. Abortion and other important topics will be further decided.

I don’t mean this as doom and gloom. It will be hard, but we know what to do. Here is the 2024 playbook for advancing racial equity.

Accept the fact there is no silver bullet and there are no unicorns in 2024 – to advance racial equity and not lose more ground we have to do the work and call out racism in big and small ways.
Find your people, people who understand race and why it is important – find your squad and reinforce each other. Create these networks professionally and socially. Support each other. Start group chats, and meet ups to build connections. Laugh, work, and be good to one another.
Find your teen to 20-something year old mentor. Everyone needs someone young to explain stuff. They will roll their eyes at you, but at the same time, we need them to explain the changing world and to help us change our worldviews.
Register to vote and vote. If you can’t vote, encourage someone else to vote.
Pay attention to who is on your ballot and why it is there. So many important races and initiatives often get buried at the bottom of ballots, or maybe not as much media coverage because they are in smaller cities. It is still important to pay attention to these races. It is hard to learn about everything on a ballot, but pay attention and find creative ways to learn. A friend told me she gathered a few friends and they each took a few races from the ballot to research and trade notes. In Moldova, my fellowship group met with a (now) media influencer who uses her platform to share about elections and the need for civic engagement. Doing this gained her an audience and she’s continued to share what she learns about elections.
Read diverse media, including topics you wouldn’t normally gravitate to. We need to be generalists and have diverse thoughts if we’re going to find new ideas to advance progressive beliefs.
Pay attention to local news AND global news from diverse news sites. After spending time in Europe on a fellowship I now see how important it is to keep an eye on global news. I thought I had before, but I was only skimmed headlines and catching highlights on NPR. Now I make it a point to read or listen to a few podcasts of both local and international news, and occasionally dive deeper by reading books on interesting topics.
Choose something to do and do it. Racial equity advances have come about because of many small actions. The big wins are dramatic, but the small wins lay the groundwork for the larger actions to take place. Earlier today I was talking to a colleague about how we got race-conscious language into a strategic plan.
Think about how something might fail or evaluate the failure. I’ve been reflecting on the practice of pre-mortems – thinking about how something might fail before it launches. Often times community projects fail because we only listened to a few people and we are wedded to one set of ideas. Pre-mortems can help us identify weak spots and slow down to include other ideas or other people who can strengthen projects.
Celebrate the wins. We need to celebrate and acknowledge the wins.

This is a playbook for 2024. I hope you come up with your own playbook for the year ahead. We have a hard year ahead, but if we are all working towards the same goals we’ll hold ground and maybe move a few steps ahead.

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Kindness

December 21, 2023

No blog post next week, I’ll be winding down the end of the year and preparing for 2024.

White background with the word KINDNESS written in black ink
Photo by Kevin Malik on Pexels.com

Since it is the end of the year and many of us are trying to think through gifts, I thought it would be good to think about acts of kindness. Many acts of kindness are not material goods, but rather ways to support each other.

Here are a few acts of kindness to round out the year:

Tip extra well during the holidays, especially to people of color who are serving you. Many of the people working in these roles are people of color. Tipping originated to underpay people of color. Also, be kind to front-line workers this time of year, and all year long.

Say hello to someone who is serving you – the cashier at a grocery store, the nurse at the clinic, the taxi driver. Say hello like you mean it, not just a cursory greeting, and then go back to your phone.

If you’re financially able to, purchase a few books by authors of color or by disabled authors and stick them in Little Free Libraries or donate them to people who would benefit from diverse perspectives. Also, clear out your bookshelf and do the same with books you’re ready to pass along.

Visit an elder and ask them to share stories about their past, especially stories related to their cultural traditions.

Help someone register to vote. 2024 is a presidential election year with primary elections coming up very early in 2024.

Learn about housing affordability and then choose a way to support housing affordability in your area.

Act in a way that supports cross-racial justice.

Help someone with a project, especially if the project advances racial justice, disability justice, or LGBTQ justice.

Donate blood.

For my fellow people of color, if you’re able to join the bone marrow registry. If you’re already in the registry, make sure your information is up to date.

Listen and believe people of color, especially Black and Native women when they share their realities. Radical listening is a skill we need to develop. This isn’t really kindness, it is something we should just do because it is the right thing to do.

2023 in retrospect

December 14, 2023

Picture of a beach with 2023 written in the sand, waves overtaking the 2023. Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

It is the end of 2023 which means it is time to retire some burdens from the year. Here is my list of things to say bye to things to say it is ok to let you go, and some to recall, and some to mourn or grieve about.

RIP Queen Elizabeth. Bye to colonizer legacies. Hello King Charles, but bye to your racism asking about skin color of your grandchild.

We said goodbye to Affirmative Action thanks to a very conservative Supreme Court.

We also said goodbye to the right to abortion in many states. Again, thanks to the legacy of former President Trump and his conservative appointees.

Lahaina, Maui burned. Many of us grieved for the town, its people, and a lost community and sense of paradise. Lahaina will rebuild, but it is forever changed.

We said goodbye to the bluebird in the bubble and exchanged it for an X. Why does this matter to racial equity? It does and doesn’t. But maybe the question is how does one white guy have so much media power? Musk owns X, Starlink, and probably other communication companies we don’t even realize he controls.

Disney turned 100. As a cultural institution that has diversified some, will it continue to evolve to meet the changing demographics of its audiences?

Kevin McCarthy was forced out Speaker of the House — the first and only Speaker to be voted out. What does this mean for democracy? Did the system work or did it fail? I can’t figure out how POCs faired any better or worse through the process.

Way back in January many were transfixed as NFL Bills player Damar Hamlin had a heart attack on the football field. After the heart attack the players refused to play – one of the first times I can remember an NFL game acknowledging a collective worry and attending to the needs of the players first. We need more humanization of these spaces.

In October we watched as Hamas attacked Israel and the aftermath of that. In the US we’re now watching as people grapple with the intersection of identity, tolerance, free speech, activism, and othering and belonging. This is especially hitting high education institutions and educators hard.

Ukraine is still fighting for its independence from Russia.

RIP Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first women on the Supreme Court. We are still waiting for the first Asian, Pacific Islander, and Native American to be appointed to the highest court.

In 2023 there continued to be too many people dying by gun violence.

What I hope for in 2024

A fair and free US election. Free from rhetoric, a fair election where people of color can vote with ease, and an election that is trusted by its residents and citizens.

I hope we come up with collective spaces for democracy to thrive. I hope we come up with spaces for POCs to determine what democracy can mean for ourselves and have this influence and reshape our communities.

There is much more to hope for and to grow into that space. What are you saying goodbye to in 2023 and what are you hoping for in 2024?

The trifecta: Time, Money, and Community values – Questions for Group Dynamics

December 7, 2023December 9, 2023

Stock photo of a group of multiracial adults wearing office casual clothes, in an office setting standing and sitting trying to look natural. Photo by Jopwell on Pexels.com

Happy Hanukkah! Wishing you a warm and safe holiday season.

Group dynamics are interesting, especially for new groups that have to spend an intense amount of time together. Each group member brings their lived experiences with them and when done well everyone shares a sense of belonging. Time, money, and cultural and community values are important to understanding how groups work.

Below are questions for you to reflect on before (or at any point) entering a group. Think about the questions with a nod towards understanding your own race, cultural, and community values. Also, think about how your own values match or don’t match other cultural or community values. As an example, at many of the community events I attend it is acceptable to arrive a few minutes late. Rarely is there a hard start at the time announced. However, this sometimes clashes with the personal values of people from the same community who expect prompt starts. I respect both values; often as a host, I’ve had to navigate both values with careful wording of invitations, and making sure that late arrivals are still welcomed but we will have a prompt start.

If it works for your group, you may want to surface some of these questions. Sometimes it is helpful to talk some of the values through so everyone hears each other’s beliefs, values, and expectations.

Time

What is your value or norm around punctuality and being on time? What about your community’s value on this?

How do you feel about schedules versus unscheduled time?

What are your values around deadlines – right away or need the pressure of a deadline? How does this work with others on the team?

How do you deal with time differences, literally and figuratively? Literally – time zone changes, daylight savings time, seasonal differences. Figuratively – the differences in how people value time (e.g. punctuality, giving appropriate notice, scheduling, etc.).

Money

What are your personal reflections on class values? How will you navigate them with people of other class status?

Paying and purchases in group settings: individual checks, split the check, one person host?

Budgets as guides or budgets are meant to be kept? Is it ok to move money within the overall budget? Who gets a say on spending?

Community and Leadership

What is the cultural norm about disagreements and conflict?

How does/will conflict resolution take place, formally and informally?

What are the gender norms and gender values? How does this balance with others in the group?

When is it acceptable to use technology (e.g. phones, laptops, etc.) and when is it not acceptable? (e.g. is it ok to use it in meetings, while in the group, etc.) Is there a technology divide (consider this from a disability, class — who can afford technology, age, etc.) perspective, and will the group navigate it?

When should rules be followed? When should they be challenged? When should they be ignored? How do others in the group or society feel about your approach?

How will you honor the traditions of the place you’re in? Are they the same or different from how others practice traditions? *Please also think about this question from an Indigenous perspective.

What are the cultural values of attire? How do they challenge or conform to society’s norms?

Is it socially acceptable to approach strangers or to move about alone? Does this hold true for everyone in your group, is it safe for everyone? *Think about this from the perspective of race, LGBTQ, gender, youth and seniors, etc.

The Power of Comparatives

November 30, 2023

Mural at Moldova for Peace — people handing puzzle pieces to each other up stairs. Moldova for Peace works to support Ukraian refugees (https://moldova.travel/en/moldova-pentru-pace/)

A friend asked me what I/we had to learn from traveling to Europe with the Marshall Memorial Fellowship. I read between the lines because I knew what she was really asking – what do POCs have to learn from Europe, subtext why learn from white countries. I knew the question intimately because I had to reckon with it for months before applying and then after being accepted into the Marshall Memorial Fellowship.

Thanks to colonization, including from Europe, has led to a lot of the historical problems we are currently dealing with. There is a saying in public administration “Today’s problems were yesterday’s solutions.” I find this so true in working towards racial justice. The problems of today came about because of our past histories. This is why we need to look outside of ourselves to understand how the problems evolved, to make sure we don’t repeat the same mistakes, and to find solutions in new places and ways.

In high school I had to take a foreign language; it was ridiculously hard. What I did learn from the experience was how much more I needed to understand English first. Naming and understanding the parts of the English language was necessary to understand the parts of speech in the target languages. That power of comparing and being forced to name the comparisons allows the brain to anchor onto learning differently and to see things differently.

While on the fellowship I learned a lot about European politics. I had to dig deep to recall what I learned in a comparative politics class eons ago. Understanding the differences between a US government system versus parliamentary systems, and then having to compare the differences between countries was fascinating.

To go back to my friend’s question – why should it matter to her as a POC in the US? It matters because when we can see the differences and similarities we force our brains to draw different inferences, see color where previously the problem was black and white, or just to be able to name things differently. This is important for everyone, but for POCs it gives us a deeper way to understand history and the problems we face today.

The Solutions Must be Global

We also need to learn from each other because there are patterns of behavior. Reading the news there are multiple headlines about how the world is falling apart – fascism, climate change, energy and water rights, political conservatism, immigration, and so on. No country is an island upon itself, the days of isolationism are long over. What happens in one part of the world has global impacts. We often think our problems are unique and special. Yet history and patterns show us we are probably not as special as we think. Comparing problems in a way where we can share information and solutions and not compete for who’s worse off is an important way of tackling problems.

One of the lessons I learned from traveling with the Marshal Memorial Fellowship is how our solutions must be globally sought. We’re better when we’re not competing with each other all the time for attention, resources, or to outdo each other. While in Berlin we met with a staff member of the German diplomatic corps. She talked about how Germany is meticulously following the US’s Inflation Reduction Act and especially the climate change related goals. They see it as important to work together and not compete with each other for resources to achieve the shared aim of reducing fossil fuel emissions and curbing climate change. Competing wouldn’t achieve the end goal of reducing climate change.

Universally the Same

As I wrote about several weeks ago, the main lesson I learned is we’re more similar than we like to think. We all like to think we’re special – we’re not. If we compare our problems many times they are the same – racism is racism, privilege happens everywhere, democracy is fragile but also resilient. When we understand this we can also center people of color and communities of colors needs differently.

Another cohort member who traveled to different cities than me shared one of the cities she visited had a massive Black Lives Matter rally during the same time as America’s racial reckoning. However, the city doesn’t have very many Black people, so while important to act in solidarity, they also need to grapple with their racism and prejudice against Roma people. This is why we need to learn from each other – to see what is in front of us but also our blind spots – to see race and racism.

To end on a gratitude, the opportunity to learn from the Marshall Memorial Fellowship was a generous gift made possible by many — I am humbled by the experience. I also know I need to do it more learning from others where I am. I hope we all find ways to stretch within our own neighborhoods to learn from others and to be open to understanding differently.

Holiday Book Guide – 2023, give the gift of books

November 23, 2023

Photo of a black bookshelf with colorful spines and sunlight and shadows falling on them. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Last week I said there wouldn’t be a post this week, but I decided I had enough material to put together a more comprehensive book gift guide. There are so many good books in the world, but sometimes specific recs can help to cut through the noise.

If you need more recommendations check out Fakequity’s Bookshop page. The majority of the books on there have been vetted by me or people I trust. Fakequity is an affiliate of Bookshop and receives a small profit from sales made through the link, which supports the blog and used to gift books to high poverty schools.

If the person likes fiction with a twist of dark humor and satire:

Yellowface and My Sister the Serial Killer fill the category of fiction with a twist of dark humor. Both books deal with death, but it is what happens after the deaths and how the deaths happen that make the books intriguing.

If your gift receiver enjoys reading historical fiction:

Take My Hand is a wonderful book that follows a nurse and two Black girls who were forcibly sterilized in Montgomery, Alabama in the 1970s. The book is well-researched and an important read to ensure we don’t make the same mistakes.

The Seed Keeper is another historical fiction book focused on Native Americans and farming. The story follows several generations and the seeds they nurture and farm. It follows the rise of industrial agriculture and how that conflicted with Native farming values in one family.

You need to gift a gorgeous, heavy book or put one on your own coffee table:

Project 562 was a past recommendation on Fakequity, and I’m bringing it back because it is that gorgeous and that important to showcase Native Americans and Indigenous people how they want to be seen.

I’m also putting Crowned in this category (not as heavy as Project 562) because it is another gorgeous book that would look great on a coffee table, and is appropriate for kids and adults.

A book about disability justice for you or someone else

Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist is the autobiography of Judith Heumann, a legendary disability justice activist. She died recently but her legacy lives on.

Looking for a cookbook for the cook who has every cookbook

Make it Japanese just came out a few weeks ago. I follow Rie McClenny on the Tasty channels and was very excited to see her new cookbook. In the cookbook, she focuses on home cooking of Japanese food, not the exclusively fancy stuff you see on fancy menus. I am excited to try some of the recipes this holiday season.

A cookbook for the bakers and pie makers

I’m intimidated by pie making. The crust and all the steps sound way more complicated than other desserts. But the pies in this book may force me to try again, OR I could gift it to someone and hope they will make all the pies and share them with me. 50 Pies, 50 States: An Immigrant’s Love Letter to the United States Through Pie is just what the title says, a pie for every state and some bonus cities and countries. The cookbook is truly a love story of the author around pies, places, and many of her friends who she dedicates the pies to.

For junior bakers, The Only Way to Make Bread (picture book) is a nice introduction to talking about cultures, differences, and similarities. This book just came out too so there is a good chance people don’t have it yet.

Your friend wants to start a revolution, or at least spark some change.

Ijeoma Oluo has a new book coming out in January 2024, Be a Revolution: How Everyday People Are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World–And How You Can, Too. If this holds true to her past books, it will be fab and help people learn about race and how they can work for racial change.

Back to Nature

Connecting to nature and the outdoors is a huge part of diverse POC experiences. I was reminded of that while browsing at the library and picking up the Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults edition. This adaptation is as special as the adult version, Braiding Sweetgrass. Pick up both and enjoy them and gift them to many people.

You need some graphic novels for middle school kids?

My kid, the graphic novel lover, recommends City of Dragons. She’s excited the second book was just published. The books are about a girl named Grace, the death of her father, and an egg that hatches into a dragon and the adventures they have together.

My older kid, recommends the Amulet series for upper elementary grade. For middle schoolers, he recommends Boxer and Saints. When I gifted copies of all of these to several schools the librarians were thrilled to have additional copies for their shelves, they said these titles are often checked out.

Someone is having a baby and you want to give them books

Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors is a gorgeous book with really nice prose. I was excited to see it in board book format.

Freight Train by Donald Crews is a classic. There is no real story, no plot, but the text is so captivating. This was my kid’s favorite book when he was a baby. The copy we had literally fell apart from so many readings and handling by the baby.

You need a picture book or books for younger kids

Goddess: 50 Goddesses, Spirits, Saints, and Other Female Figures Who Have Shaped Belief The goddesses are diverse and inclusive of many cultures. I was impressed with the breadth and depth of the book. The illustrations are attractive. It is better for older elementary students.

My Culture, My Gender, Me is an inclusive look at different cultures and the inclusion of LGBTQ and especially trans people. The author is white, but including it since the illustrator is POC.

There are so many other books to recommend. If you’re looking for a category not listed here, check out some of Fakequity’s other book recommendation lists. Hope you find some good books to read and gift this season.

Holiday Book Buying Guide 2023

November 16, 2023November 16, 2023

Picture of two hands tying wrapped books in brown paper. Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

No blog post next week — it is American Thanksgiving.

Since it is almost the holidays I thought I’d share a few books for your own holiday reading or if you’re looking for the perfect book for someone else. I have a ton of other titles to share, so stay tuned for more book posts.

Jar of Fat by Seayoung Yim is a hilarious play. Yim intertwines Korean culture with tackling the topic of fatphobia. In the play she also takes on beauty standards and family relationships. This was the winner of the Yale Drama Prize and which is a very prestigious prize to win. Seayoung also spent a lot of time in Seattle, which makes me happy since I hope it means I’ll catch her during a visit back to Seattle.

For new parents (or parents overall) How to Raise a Feminist Son: A Memoir & Manifesto by Sonora Jha is a great book. The book reflects on how the author raised her now adult son and worked to infuse feminism in his life. She also writes about how she had to confront her own stereotypes and biases in being a parent. The book is great for parents or others regardless of gender.

Nervous

Jen Soriano’s look at trauma and the nervous system is written in such an accessible way it is fascinating. She writes about how trauma impacts her nervous system and her body and how she’s working to heal it. The book is not sad or technical but rather an exploration of the topic and an invitation to think about how we view the body and reframe how we can understand people.

Become America: Civic Sermons on Love, Responsibility, and Democracy

Because I’ve been thinking about democracy and thinking about the 2024 election, I’m going to recommend Eric Liu’s Become America book. Some of his civic sermons are the balm and reengagement we need to think about how we want to engage with democracy and civil society (aka our neighborhoods and each other).

Poetry

Homeland of My Body

Richard Blanco’s newest book of poetry is on my to-read list. If you have a poetry lover in your life this is a good one to gift since it is new. The Cuban American, Miami resident, and former engineer writes about finding a place in the world and what does that mean to the self and community. I am re-reading How to Love a Country and enjoying it just as much as the first time when I listened to it on audiobook.

Cookbooks

I have so many good cookbooks to share. There are a ton of gorgeous books out there this season. I can’t vouch for actually cooking out of them, I just like the pictures and narratives.

Made in Taiwan

I wanted to eat so much of the food in the pictures. Scallion pancakes, soup dumplings, tapioca pearl milk tea, and fun categories like beer foods, family style, lunch break, and so much more. The book also includes vignettes about Taiwan culture and life.

The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope

Chef José Andrés and his organization World Central Kitchen are often on the frontlines of disasters working with local chefs and organizers to make sure people get fed. This cookbook shares some of those stories and the recipes that have come out of their work. Celebrities including Michelle Obama, Marcus Samuelsson, Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, and others have also contributed recipes. There is a recipe for haupia from Hawai’i that looks delicious and might be on my holiday baking list.

The Simple Art of Rice

I grew up eating a lot of rice, it is part of living in Hawai’i. This book fed my soul seeing all the different types of rice and different ways to prepare such a simple but complex ingredient. The cookbook is well-researched and gorgeous too. Read it, gift it, and share it with others — rice unites us.

Children’s

Crowned: Magical Folk and Fairy Tales from the Diaspora

For the young Black children in your life, or adults who appreciate nice books, invest in a copy of Crowned: Magical Folk and Fairy Tales from the Diaspora. The authors and artist involved with this project took great care to get the scenes perfect for the photographs in the book. The clothes and art were sourced from Black artists. The stories include well known fairytales and new ones that speak to the African diaspora. It is a worthy investment of a book for younger kids or a coffee table book for adults.

A Walk in the Woods

I saw this at the library and picked it up off the new book shelf since it listed two of my favorite, authors – Nikki Grimes and illustrator Jerry Pinkney. The story is about a young child who is left a map after his father dies. He is disappointed by the map, but takes the map into the woods and finds a final gift from his father. The endnote to the book is an important part of how the book came to be, since it was published after Jerry Pickney’s death with his son and niece stepping forward to help finish it.

The Only Way to Make Bread

Bread and books are always a winning combination. In this book, children can explore different types of breads which leads to conversations about culture and diversity. This is a great book to share with classrooms who might want to extend the lesson to inviting children to talk about their own home lives and what makes it special.

Chinese Menu

Another book that combines food and stories – win-win! Chinese Menu is a gorgeous book of short stories based on different foods found throughout Chinese culture. The stories blend history and folklore into delicious stories. The book is broken into sections that resemble a Chinese menu. The book is not a cookbook, but it can make you very hungry.

Belonging and Borders – Transatlantic Relationship Building

November 9, 2023November 10, 2023

Cohort of people wearing professional clothes smiling in front of the GMF building.

The blog was on hiatus for a few weeks while I participated in the Marshall Memorial Fellowship hosted by the German Marshall Fund. This is a recap of some of what I learned. The fellowship is designed to increase transatlantic understanding. It was a privilege to travel to Washington DC, Berlin, Chișinău, Rome, Vatican City, and Brussels. I am indebted to the staff and donors who made the opportunity possible, to our city hosts for thoughtfully curating agendas, and to my travel mates for everything from challenge words to in-depth reflections.

Several weeks ago, I had a minor soul-crushing moment. It dawned on me that problems across the world are universally the same – privilege is privilege, power hoarding happens everywhere, and people without resources are struggling everywhere. The difference was I was in Europe having this realization. The soul-crushing was brief. I shifted my thinking to – if the problems are the same, the solutions are abundant. In another community someone has found a solution and together we can create a greater sense of belonging to solve problems.

Belonging

During my time in Europe, I kept coming back to the value of belonging. From government to government, person to person – leaders and advocates talked about how people need to feel like they belong for democracy to work. While in Brussels we visited NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). The speaker mentioned how he wished they had worked harder to help Russia feel like they belonged. It was a side comment that stuck with me. When we feel we belong it is harder to be a bully.

In Berlin, we visited a high school and met with the students, almost all of them immigrants. When I walked into the school I felt like I was in my groove. Good schools create spaces of belonging and this was true here. The students shared so much about their dreams and how they want to create democracy.

While in Rome, we met with SVIMEZ, an organization working on the North-South divide. The North is more prosperous and the South has more disparities. I asked about how the organization is working with the North to understand a shared prosperity is in both of their interests. I inferred from the response when we understand each other it lowers resistance to change.

Borders and Walls

Borders and walls also featured heavily on our tour of cities. One of the most memorable stops was visiting the Berlin Wall Memorial. I vaguely remember the fall of the Berlin Wall as a kid. Learning about it as an adult brought home how delicate and fragile democracy can be. Across Berlin, there are reminders of where the wall once stood, along with reminders of the Jewish lives lost during WWII.

Obligatory shoe shot. Pavement marker “Berliner Mauer 1961-1989” The Berlin Wall ran through this spot.

In today’s world, the conflicts in Ukraine and with Israel and Hamas show again how perishable our sense of belonging and safety can be. At the same time, democratic values are worth fighting for.

In Chișinău (Moldova) we met journalist Nata Albot who believed so heartily in fair elections she used her social media presence to explain the election to others. A free and fair election is necessary to building trust and a working democracy. Since Moldova borders Ukraine there is a palpable sense of urgency in joining the European Union. This was something I think many of us in the West take for granted, but I also now understand how quickly this can be eroded by chipping away at democratic values.

Tying this all together – Democracy and the value of relationships

When I interviewed for the fellowship, I had a feeling of imposter syndrome. As a kid growing up in Hawai’i, Europe was impossibly far away. As a kid traveling off-island or going to Disneyland was about as far as my imagination could take me. During the interview, I remember thinking “f-it, just answer the questions” authentically. I talked about how I see the value in building relationships to effect change and understanding. Proximity matters and I now understand how we need to build broader and deeper relationships to activate democracy and democratic values impact us all.

Democracy is built on breaking down boundaries and walls, creating a sense of belonging, mutual responsibilities and shared prosperity. We need to reach further than our own boundaries to find solutions. Belonging breaks down borders, relationships and proximity builds understanding and engagement – all of which leads to shared problem solving and a collective democracy.

We Participate in White Supremacy, But Not as White Supremacist

October 6, 2023

Red apples hanging on a branch with green leaves, during fall Photo by Kristina Paukshtite on Pexels.com

Note: No blog posts after this until mid-November. I have a busy month of work ahead of me so most likely no time to sit and blog. If I find a few hours of time to crank out a post, I will post something to break up the hiatus. Thanks for understanding.

Recently, I was at a mix-race, multi-faith event to share stories and build connections. It was a lovely afternoon with just enough formality and casualness to be interesting but not soul-searching jump out of your skin uncomfortable. As a bunch of strangers meeting and talking for the first time, it got sufficiently deep.

One of the comments I remember was a story from an older German-American woman who said she remembered learning about the Holocaust and as a child of German descent and she felt guilty and internalized that guilt. She had to mature and understand it is ok to learn about history and empathize, but not to take on the guilt and shame. We need to learn about true history – the history of bad events — to build our empathy muscles.

We All Participate in White Supremacy

Hearing that person’s story and re-reading an old post I wrote about white supremacy made me think about how we all participate in white supremacy but that doesn’t mean we are white supremacist. At times people hear the first part and shut-down, they want to go back into a bubble of believing they are ok, they are good, and white supremacy doesn’t exist or they aren’t complicit in it. When we ignore the fact that we all participate in white supremacy and we don’t speak out about it, racial justice work stalls or we put up so many more barriers to fairness and justice work.

When I say we all participate in white supremacy, here are a few personal examples:

I have a bank account – I am able to have a bank account because I have the documentation (i.e. a state-issued ID card, Social Security Number, paycheck, etc.) and a financial institution deems me worthy of belonging to their institution. Not everyone has this privilege.

I understand and can communicate in the dominant languages, and I can code switch when necessary to make myself appealing to those in power.

I am not white, but I am often acceptable to white people.

White supremacy teaches us how to behave and be acceptable to the dominant white culture. White people and white culture has a narrow view of acceptable.

Understanding white supremacy is important to fighting it and creating empathy and space for others. When we talk about white supremacy, we’re not saying individual everyday people are white supremacist. We are saying we participate and benefit from a system we have to actively work to dismantle.

Dismantling the system we benefit from is good for everyone. Dismantling the privileges some get but others don’t allows for a fair system. We can share and when we do it allows for empathy to build and for people to be kinder and more open to change.

Thinking back to the person I had lunch with. I hope she now knows she doesn’t need to internalize the past. She needs to learn from it and to understand how to work to empathize with people who are different so we don’t repeat the atrocities of the past. Understanding how the systems of white supremacy work AND having empathy to change are both needed to stand up to the systems that don’t want to change.

Information as Currency

September 29, 2023

Picture of a question mark on a brown background Photo by Leeloo Thefirst on Pexels.com

In last week’s Fakequity post I dropped the phrase ‘information is currency,’ this week I’ll elaborate on what that means.

Information and access to information is how we navigate the world. Those of us with more information about a particular topic can navigate that part of life more easily. Information grants us privileges and access to more information. This becomes a currency and a way to negotiate for more access or other privileges.

Historically information has been used against people of color. Black people weren’t allowed to learn how to read, less information makes it easier to control others. POCs have been relegated to second class educational settings – less access to information, less competition and more privilege for others. Less competition allows white kids to go to college and more money stays in white communities.

POC communities fight this by protecting our information and being respectfully wary of outsiders trying to gain our information for their benefit.

POC Information

I’ve worked deeply with POC communities for many years. Through that time I made a point of trying to stay connected to a lot of different people so I could keep tabs on what was happening in different parts of the community. Having this information was important for the organization’s advocacy work and legitimacy. Our work was only as good as the information we received in so we could make informed decisions and when held accountable back to the community we could explain why we decided to take certain actions.

I also knew when I was invited to policy tables or other spaces it was because I had knowledge others wanted. They wanted to know what communities of color were thinking or needed, they wanted to say communities of color were represented by my organization’s presence. The currency to get to that table was information, the tax I paid was being the voice for many and having to hold that trust.

Relationships vs Information

A white friend once told me he knew when he brought his Black colleague along to a mostly white meeting it was an asset to him – everyone wanted to hear from the Black community but didn’t know how to access the Black community (different story for another day). He went on to say, he also knew when his Black friend took him, a white guy, into the Black community he was a liability. Communities of color have learned over time to protect and guard their information so it isn’t exploited.

For white and privileged people it is important to respect the ownership of information. There is a fine line between sharing POC information to want to help and using it to exploit POCs. I’ve watched white people enter POC spaces and sit there and listen without participating, absorbing the information. The presence of a white body in a POC space without actively working to build relationships is a way to gain information without supporting Black and Brown people. Don’t do this, if you want to be in spaces with POCs then build relationships don’t just take or sulk in the corner and take their information for your benefit. That is a sure way never to be invited back or to have them talk about you in the meeting after the meeting.

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