Are you part of the conversation?
“Today I commit myself to step into and speak up against any form of racism I see or hear in front of me, whether online or offline and I invite you to do the same. #NotOnOurWatch”
That statement, or one like it, has been my Facebook status every day for the past month or so. The hope is to see a growing movement of white people in particular who will refuse to allow racism to happen in front of them unchecked. But the hope is also that people in general will do the same thing when any form of injustice crosses their path.
As I love to say: “The ants outnumber the crickets”. This is a Disney-cartoon-enhanced metaphor meaning that there are more of us (who may feel small and insignificant, as the extremes on either side tend to be louder and more aggressive) who want South Africa to be a great nation of people living in unity, than there are who would not. This probably applies to you no matter what country you call home.
FIRST SHOW UP
It seems that statuses and conversations like these are cropping up all over the social media landscape. Whereas in the past these would have quickly boiled over into arguments and name-calling, it feels like we have turned a bit of a corner. I have been pleasantly surprised of late as to how many of these conversations have been allowed to go deeper and be treated with more respect by people on all sides, even finding space to strongly disagree without offending or being offensive.
Then I see a list of blog posts in a South African bloggers group I am part of and as I skim down the list I see cupcakes and parties and handbags and recipes and decorating and I must admit I do a bit of an eye-roll.
These conversations are happening, and they are starting to look more positive and healthy and healing, but we need to be seeing more of them.
Whether it’s a status you write or a blog post you read or an article you share, the invitation is to get involved. There is a wave of revolution starting to gather force and rise as a tsunami over the nation – but for the first time in a long, long time, it is filled with hope and optimism and positive engagement.
Are you a part of that wave? And if not yet, how are you going to be?
DEEP DIVE CONVERSATION
My wife tbV (the beautiful Val) and I started a tradition last year that we called Deep Dive Conversation Dinners. On these nights, we invite a diverse group of people with different ideas about a certain topic (money, where we live, church, race) and then have a meal together and a four to five (to seven – the last one ended at 2 am because people just kept on engaging) hour conversation on a significant topic.
We hope to create a safe space, and the idea of breaking bread together before diving into meaty conversation gives it a good foundation. But we also want to allow it to be awkward and hard and painful and full of tears and with space for anger and accusation and hard questions and quiet reflection. We all need to be a part of creating more spaces like that, regardless of our background or nationality.
INVITATION TO GET YOUR FEET WET
Is this something you have been aware of? Are you a part of these necessary conversations in terms of your friend groups and family? Are you a part of creating spaces or joining them where you see them and committing to diving deeper on a conversation that is so important right now?
What have you seen that is starting to increase your hope that maybe, just maybe, we will turn out alright?
Share a story in the comments section of a conversation or action or something you have heard or seen this last week that gave you some hope?