Hey friends,
The last 7 days have been crazy and important.
This week, I’m cutting straight to the chase and sharing what’s on my mind. An excerpt from yesterday’s Software Mentor newsletter - “Upgrade the System”:
When I ponder on what actions I can take, I remember the ending of Malcolm X’s autobiography. Early in the book, a white college student approaches Malcolm and asks her what she can do - and he tells her “Nothing”. She leaves crying.
But towards the end, Malcolm has changed. Reflecting on that memory, he says:
I regret that I told her that. I wish that now I knew her name, or where I could telephone her, or write to her, and tell her what I tell white people now… Where the really sincere white people have got to do their “proving” of themselves is not among the black victims, but out on the battle lines of where America’s racism really is—and that’s in their own home communities; America’s racism is among their own fellow whites.
He says, “Work in conjunction with us—each of us working among our own kind”. And “[w]e will meanwhile be working among our own kind, in our own black communities—showing and teaching black men in ways that only other black men can—that the black man has got to help himself”.
The events of the last week demand that we learn more about America’s racist history and hear more from minority voices. They demand that we start conversations with friends and family. They demand that we direct our votes towards legislators that can ammend the rules.
What started last week should cascade for months and years until ignorance is replaced with understanding, and hate and fear and feelings of superiority are replaced by love, respect, and celebration of differences. All with policies that reflect this wisdom.
If you take a true appraisal of our society - we are so, so far away.
The march of progress can start with a march of protest. It often does. But all too often, with issues of race in America, we stop the conversation before it becomes unpleasant - before it forces introspection and change. Racism can be subtle. Self-hate even more so.
This time, let’s not let the events of the past 7 days be just a one time demonstration. Let it be a starting point for lasting change.
Expect updates from Summer of Shipping and Feather next week, but this week - we had to talk about something much bigger.
-Phil