Personal Privilege

Not That Kind

Today is one of those different types of posts from me.

I want to use this space to take a bit or personal privilege and express my thoughts on just…life, disappointment, growth, etc.

A few years ago, following the murder of George Floyd and the murder of Breonna Taylor, I felt hopeless. I felt the need to do something and I also was under the misguided belief that others felt that too.

Boy, was I wrong.

But back then, I thought I was doing something that was right.

I even did countless interviews in print and on tv to push for it.

I did university speaking tours:

I co-founded an org to bring people from around the state of Kentucky to discuss the impacts of racism and actual solutions—in a manner that eclipsed partisanship. Because racism is not a partisan issue…just one party has staked claim to it a little harder.

I thought now was the time. I connected people in my networks, we held calls, meetings, strategy sessions.

Some of that took some vouching in my own community. After years of abuse and deceit, our community, the Black community, are wary of saviors and people who suddenly show up.

Like the math teachers who hated me for skipping ahead all the time, we need you to show your work.

Given what was going on, time to show all work was not a luxury we had. So we forged ahead and for that, I was mistaken.

I never wanted or want to be a savior. But I do want to be part of the answer—to contribute to a solution. And in my haste, I may have helped to promote things that may be to the detriment of us.

Take for example the creation of the Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity one of the fruits of that labor.

The idea was to create a commission that studied the impacts of race and the blocks on access to opportunity. My concept was this— assemble bipartisan commission, study specific barriers, work with lawmakers and community to identify solutions, present a yearly report and policy proposals geared towards those issues.

What resulted was a statutory committee that was a highly partisan group that will sometimes offer a ‘thought’ on issues with no binding power or policy proposals. Something…but not nearly enough.

The hardest part is now that it was created…it is used as a tool to state that they are not racist AND they have the feeling they did ‘enough’ by creating this.

Again, I’m sorry.

My intention never was, and never will be, to promote individuals or to promote individual ideas. I just want us to have better because we deserve it. I just don’t know how at times with the way the world works.