So I'm not sure if I should do this here or not but I'm going to go for it.
I'm reading Hidden Figures, I've wanted to since I first became a GirlsWhoCode facilitator and it was finally available via my library's Libby app. I just finished Chapter 4 and the thing that hit home the most for me was that the author brings up examples clearly showing that those in the Black community joined the war effort not just in hope of victory for the war and an end to the oppression occurring in Germany but also in the hopes that it would spur change in our own country and create a victory for their community in terms of obtaining the equality so long denied to them. I feel like I see that for every conflict faced in our country. For example, every election minority groups rally and support election efforts either for specific candidates or just get out the vote initiatives. And when they do, they hope not only to have success for that effort but also towards being less marginalized by the society they live in.
Am I alone in this? Do you see this as well? Can you see examples you see today or in the past that show this? And what about the results? I feel like out country and the majority population in it just says thanks (maybe) and then just goes back to their original treatment and the marginalized group has to speak up even louder to be heard. I hate this!
You may hate the oppressive realities racism produces, BUT please take note that YOU represent a critical aspect of the solution; you call nuanced realities that many simply ignore out into the open, enabling opportunities to dismantle hegemonic ideologies — systems of thought we take as a given, the status quo. You offer profound insights that empower others to realize the complex interconnected of DIFFERENCE (be it sexuality, class, race, gender, gender identity, etc). Having the courage to trust intuitive instincts many times allows us to be vulnerable; isn’t this place where we feel compelled to speak/explore/deconstruct potentially fertile ground to explore/realize the subjectivity of the OTHER? Thanks again for having the courage to explore how (and why) others see and experience the world. The ability to EMPATHIZE IS A POWERFUL STEP.
Thank you for being a part of the solution.
