The past couple of weeks has been a time of self-evaluation. Taking time to learn from the experiences of others and confront my own understandings and views. I’ve been having a lot of conversations with my family, my kids, my spouse, friends, and people I do business with about how we can be better and do better.
As the protests eventually subside and public attention moves to other matters, I will not forget my commitment to understanding and overcoming racism.
In the middle of all of this I keep coming back to this quote:
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.“
Martin Luther King Jr wrote those words while in a jail cell in Birmingham Alabama.
I endorse King's message and in that spirit and without ambiguity:
I stand against racism.
Beyond what you see online from me, I am striving to promote equality and decency in every interaction I have. I am doing this in every corner of my life, not simply what you see posted online. I believe that what I do and say in person, when I step away from the computer, is much more important and has more influence than what I do and say here.
My hope is that if each of us does this our generation's legacy isn’t racism, prejudice, discrimination and hate but loving one another.
-Jake