This is my action. Join me!

My First Official Post as owner of NWT, LLC:

I’ve been struggling to write my first blog post for, “Now We’re Talking” or quite some time now. Kind of ironic since I’ve been ruminating on this idea since October of 2019. I often start the writing in my head and then it has to pause and I never get it onto a page. Or I doubt myself that perhaps I don’t have the right words. Isn’t that the whole point? None of us have all the right words all the time. My hope is that we can work together so that we have some strategies and ideas of what to do when we don’t know what to say or do. We have to start somewhere.

My passion has always been around service and curiosity of cultures and people. I didn’t know I would go into teaching in my undergraduate studies, but I’m so glad teaching found me. From the moment I have the opportunity to take my first training on race, racism, and equity, I lept at it and never stopped. Some might say I got a little obsessed with attending as many as I could!

One of my fully first in-depth mindful facilitation instructors was Lee Mun Wah. When he reminded us that, "curiousity breeds compassion," I took it to heart. I worked with Lee Mun Wah for 10 full days over the course of six months. I grew up a lot during those intense days of listening, sharing, connecting, showing and taking in emotion, and hearing truths that I had never had the honor of hearing previously. Even though I’d already been to years of racial equity and diversity trainings, this one hit home the most. My eyes were finally opened. Wide. And I became even more committed to learning and teaching about racial equity. What I didn’t know yet is how this learning and continued curiousity would transform me.

This past October, my book club of all white women openly talked about what a challenge it can be to begin and continue conversations on race and racism with their own children. I shared some of my own strategies and reasons why these conversations were so important with young people. One mom spoke up and said she would gladly invite me to come and teach her family how to initiate and continue conversations on race and racism. And so it began...I came to the idea of starting a business on how to facilitate conversations about race, racism and equity with families.

I’m a white mom of two white boys and I’ve been working on it since the day they were born. And I know it’s my privilege that I am able to educate my boys about this topic and at the same time not worry about whether it means life or death for them. Families of color do not have this privilege. Although race is a social construct, families of color need to have conversations about race daily or almost daily. Why are white families avoiding the topic and how does this impact the way the adults and children in our lives either engage in or shy away from this topic?

As a white woman, friend, mom, educator, (etc.), I want to help others learn how to advocate for equity, how to stand up to injustice, and how to have conversations at home that may start as uncomfortable but soon lead to growth in the ability to love others and ourselves. This is my action. This is how I continue moving forward and I hope I can help others do the same.