By Debby Waldman — 2020
Raising children to thrive in a society that judges them—sometimes harshly and, in extreme cases, fatally—because of skin color is hard regardless of your ethnicity.
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CLEAR ALL
Sometimes, doing the work means looking at yourself and your actions first.
I learned very early that to survive in this broken world there is a never-ending need to “support, nurture, and protect what we hold dear” to keep it from being damaged, hurt, or destroyed ……which also includes myself.
Ideas of visibility and the closet have largely been shaped by white America and the gay liberation movement of the 1970s. Refusing to subscribe to this narrative gives us space to connect with our gender, our culture and our sexuality on our own terms.
There is a belief among some African-Americans that to defeat racism, they have to work harder, be smarter, be better.
There is a fine line between appropriation and appreciation. There are many ways to truly honor and appreciate each of the 566 unique, federally recognized tribes in the US, and that includes adorning your kid’s toes in some comfy mocs (but not their head in a headdress).
If you have an African American body, welcome. I wrote this blog post—and the body practice at the end—especially for you. (Everyone else, welcome as well—but please skip the body practice.)
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“The history is what the history is. And it is disrespectful, to white people, to soften the history.”
Amid the nation’s protests, Cardoza began emailing current event explainers and action items to what ended up becoming thousands of subscribers, many looking for information and guidance in a year marked by sickness and brutality.
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Trauma therapist and author of My Grandmother's Hands talks honestly and directly about the historical and current traumatic impacts of racism in the U.S., and the necessity for us all to recognize this trauma, metabolize it, work through it, and grow up out of it.
This past year I not only stood unapologetically in the full and complete truth of my identity but also voiced that truth, my truth, aloud to all those closest to me. Including a lot of White people.