We are in an unprecedented place in 2020. And I’m not talking about the Covid Pandemic, but rather the racial inequity pandemic. In what is supposed to be an age of enlightenment, an age of equality for all, we find ourselves in a shameful place of not treating all people with the respect and dignity and basic human rights that we as a society purport and advocate.

We want to do it. We claim to do it. And yet we so clearly fall short as a society. We watched tearfully as George Floyd stopped breathing. We read with shock and outrage about Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery and so many others. So. Many. Others.

How do we take action to help make a change, especially speaking for myself as a white person?

The first step is educating ourselves on how to work to end racial injustice. Listen and learn. There is tons of information online. Research all of the ways you can help to make a difference. Come out as anti-racist and invite others to join you. Be public and vocal about which side you are on, make the commitment real. Join movements for justice. Get off the sidelines and just show up. Help resource the work of those fighting for accountability and making progress moving forward.

As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said, “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.”

I know I’ve fallen short and I don’t have all the answers, but I am not going to be silent. When I talk about Living a Life With Meaning, I’m talking about all people, all races, all colors living out their lives filled with equal opportunities for joy, kindness, respect, encouragement, justice, forgiveness, compassion, love and hope. Let’s all work toward that together.

June 1, 2020 Meaningful Moment

Tracey McLarney