It's on us.

Let me be honest. Like so many, over the course of the past days and the horrific acts of continued racism unfolding across the country, I have been angry. Angry that the entire black community has to be out on the streets, yet again, to fight for justice and equality. Angry that I have to worry about my black husband every time he walks to the grocery store alone. Angry that we’ll raise our future children in a society that requires us to explain why something as innocent as playing outside can be very dangerous for them.

And yet, I have to recognize that my own anger and frustrations do not even begin to compare to the ones every black person is made to feel every single day. In all this, I have wrestled with finding my voice – as a partner, but most of all as a white person.

I’ve thought long and hard about how to add something constructive to the debate. “What can I say – to make it count? How do I best say it – in a way that does justice to the pain and hurt black people feel right now? Where do I say it – and is this the right forum to do it?”

Then I read something in a post by activist and author Cleo Wade:

“There are times when we must speak, not because you are going to change the other person. But because if you don’t speak, they have changed you.”  

The truth is: Silence is not an option. There are no “wrong” forums to raise this issue. Doing the right thing is not hard to do. Few defining moments that have the potential to shape the future course of an entire society. This is one of them – and it’s on us now. It's our opportunity to stand in solidarity with and protect our black colleagues, neighbors, and loved ones. We can’t fail them – and we can’t afford to let this moment go to waste. Again.

Instead, let’s step up and recognize the profound responsibility and moral duty we carry to make sure that being safe, feeling respected, or having access to the same opportunities is no longer a privilege reserved for few of us – but shared and equally distributed amongst all of us. 

I know this sounds idealistic and optimistic; especially when today’s news reports still look so terribly similar to the ones from decades ago – nothing seems to have changed.

But here is what I know we can do to push for the progress we need to see: some of us are in a position of leading a business. Many of us are working in large organizations. All of us here have a platform. It is time to wield that collective influence and…

•  …denounce racism and stand behind black people, publicly; as Nike, Twitter, Netflix, and others across corporate America just did.
• …never tolerate open or covert acts of racism in the workplace (or anywhere else).
• …give equal opportunities to black and people of color to be interviewed, hired and promoted.
• …make sure diversity and inclusion policies are not just in place, but thoroughly followed.
• …don’t shy away from uncomfortable conversations about race but encourage having them.
• …create marketing campaigns that are more diverse and representative of our cultural canvas.
• …do more business with black and minority owned businesses in the communities you serve.
• …donate to social justice and human rights organizations.
• …don’t wait any longer but do it, today.

Change starts with taking responsibility – then taking action, every day, as individuals. Until those single acts accumulate and become too big to ignore. That’s how change becomes systemic. It's on us - and it must happen now.

If you are looking for ways to jump into action, here is something that might help. It’s a list of additional resources I’ve compiled for anyone who is looking for a starting point. Please feel free to share it with others.

I’ll close with this: When activist and educator Jane Elliott asked a room full of white people the simple question “Would you want to be treated the same way you see black people being treated?”, the answer is a haunting silence – one that couldn’t speak a louder truth.

The question we all need to ask is equally simple: What do we choose to do to stop this injustice from happening? It cannot continue to be the job of black people to put in the painful emotional labor to drive change. It is our job. It is my job. It’s on us.