If we want to see change we need to be part of the change – even when it’s hard to do.
I have met some pretty amazing people throughout my career that have left lasting impressions on me, but no one quite like my dear friend Nneka Allen, CFRE, COC, PCC
Nneka and I met while working at a Foundation in London, Ontario. We became fast friends and the closer we became, the more I started to see the systemic racism she had to maneuver through on a daily basis.
To be honest, as a privileged white woman I was pretty naive to what was happening around me and the convenience of having my blinders on was a very comfortable space to be in. But after witnessing the subtle fuckery of systemic racism it was REALLY HARD to put the blinders back on.
During this time, while Nneka was volunteering on a Board of Directors she experienced a form of racism that I hadn’t quite witnessed before. Though new to me it was hardly new to Nneka. This experience she shared had me question the entire integrity of the system we operate in.
Though these acts can sometimes happen without us fully realizing we’re part of the problem, it is up to each and everyone one of us to take a hard look at these uncomfortable situations and decide how we truly want to act, how we want to contribute – because doing nothing is still contributing.
In solidarity with my dear friend, I would like to share her story with you. I hope it will encourage people to ask themselves the hard questions, to speak up and to not just sit ideally by when something feels off.
Read Us Them: What it Really Means to Belong
https://lnkd.in/gpjrJ4RW
#CollectingCourage #BlackLove
Activate to view larger image,
19
