Listen

In acting, listening is incredibly important. We’ve all heard that old chestnut “Acting is reacting.” So you’re reacting to the information given to you in either words or actions from the people and world around you. With the senseless murders of black people in recent weeks, the people and world around me are giving me some incredibly disturbing information to react to. So I’m committing to taking some steps: Listen more and listen better. Listening is the very least that I can do. I’m committing to my discomfort in listening to stories that are painful to hear and confronting racism within and around myself. I am seeking out books to better inform me in how to be an ally to and an advocate for my fellow humans. I am committing to using the platforms I have, such as this blog, to speak out against racism. I invite you to find ways that you can listen so that you can react in constructive ways to make this world a better place for all. 

I’m committing to reading the following books as a place to start:

The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias by Dolly Chugh

Stay Woke: A People’s Guide to Making All Black Lives Matter by Tehama Lopez Bunyasi and Candis Watts Smith

Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad